TAMPA -- Even if Thursday night offered little worth celebrating, the Blue Jays finally find themselves in a clinch scenario.
After an update to the Blue Jays’ official “magic number” early Friday from Major League Baseball -- now at two -- the champagne will be on ice in Kansas City.
The Blue Jays’ 4-0 loss to the Rays on Thursday, combined with the Yankees' victory in the evening, also leaves the Blue Jays three games up on New York, meaning the wait to celebrate an American League East crown will still likely stretch into next week.
The Blue Jays still hold complete control of this, which they’ve earned, but this offense isn’t exactly expediting things.
After recording just four hits Wednesday, the Blue Jays were shut out Thursday and it never felt like there was a threat brewing. Toronto is still tied for the fourth-most runs scored in baseball this season, so this isn’t a fatal flaw by any means, but this is “what have you done for me lately?” season. The Blue Jays need their offense rolling at the right time, especially with Bo Bichette done for the regular season and still a big, glaring question mark for the playoffs.
Some of the frustration showed, too. In the seventh inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started his at-bat arguing with home-plate umpire Laz Diaz and ended it soon after, slamming his bat into the dirt.
“I think he kind of just gave that at-bat away against [Rays reliever Kevin Kelly],” manager John Schneider said. “Vlad is one swing away. He’s one swing away basically all the time. It was a frustrating series for him here and I think he let that show a little bit. Hopefully he can get that going tomorrow in K.C., but he’s always close. We let things snowball here a little bit the last two days and Vlad wants to be right in the middle of everything we’re doing.”
The only sliver of good news Thursday came from Buffalo, where the rehabbing Anthony Santander launched a home run for the Triple-A Bisons in what could be one of his final games there. The Triple-A season ends Sunday, and with the Blue Jays returning home for their final homestand beginning Tuesday against the Red Sox, that could line up naturally for Santander’s first game since May 29.
The even better news? The home run, which the switch-hitting Santander launched at 111.5 mph, came from the right side. Santander’s left shoulder has kept him on the IL for months, but at the plate, that shoulder challenges him most on right-handed swings. The Blue Jays need Santander to be a full and complete player if he returns, not half of one, so this is an encouraging sign.
On top of it all, Santander enjoyed a 41-second trip around the bases, one of the slowest you’ll ever see. By the time you read this, he may still be trotting.
“He took his time. Didn’t want to waste any energy there,” Schneider said, lightheartedly. “I actually just checked in there, making sure he was OK with the trot, but he was kind of just fatigued. I think he hit it 112? I’m not going everything off of exit velocity, bat speed and stuff, but that’s encouraging for not having that many at-bats or reps right-handed. To see him hit the ball like that was good.”
There’s no magic fix, though. Even Bichette can only bring so much to this lineup when he returns, and his return would still be far more significant for this team than Santander’s. This Blue Jays team has always been at its best when all nine hitters are contributing, which hasn’t been the case the past couple of days. They’ve been the comeback kids all season, too, but that’s a dangerous identity to lean on in the postseason, where every reliever you meet is better than the last.
“It needs to be everyone,” Schneider has said over and over since Bichette hit the IL.
We’ve seen the Blue Jays at their very best. When they are, we see one of the best teams in Major League Baseball, a legitimate World Series contender who can beat you a dozen different ways. This is the time of year to get picky, though. Now, it’s about being the hottest team in baseball for a few weeks in October, not the “best” team for six months between April and September.
The Blue Jays have that in them, but it needs to include the offense and it needs to begin in Kansas City.