TORONTO -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. decided to shake things up for his seventh-inning plate appearance on Tuesday.

“I told [Santiago] Espinal and the other guys, ‘I’m going to use Javy Báez’s bat today,’” Guerrero said, in Spanish, after the Blue Jays’ 5-3 comeback win over the Cubs at Rogers Centre. “I felt really good, and thankfully I was able to hit a homer with his bat.”

With a couple of singles and an RBI already in the books, and his team leading 4-3, Guerrero thought it would be a good time to experiment, bringing the Tigers shortstop’s bat to the plate instead of his own.

It was a bit heavier, but it had the same balance. Clearly, it suited Guerrero just fine.

The Blue Jays’ first baseman hit a hissing opposite-field home run, his 27th this season, to give his team a much-needed cushion after another slow offensive start. It was the type of iconic moment that has marked Guerrero’s young career and endeared him to baseball fans.

“He gave me this bat with a lot of love and respect,” Guerrero said of Báez, whom he considers a friend and someone to look up to. “Of course, one feels very happy when receiving a gift like that.”

It’s not uncommon for the Blue Jays star to ask for bats from players he admires whenever they roll into town to play at Rogers Centre. Guerrero has souvenirs from guys like Alex Bregman, Amed Rosario and Josh Donaldson in his locker.

Another player that has graced him with a bat? Teammate Teoscar Hernández, the owner of the three-run homer that sparked the Blue Jays’ second consecutive comeback win against the Cubs.

Hernández, who missed Monday’s game with a sore left foot after fouling two balls off it in the same week, launched an opposite-field blast of his own that turned the score around and put the Blue Jays ahead at 4-2.

“I’ve been battling for the last couple of weeks, with injuries and all that stuff,” said Hernández. “I haven’t had a good time at the plate or on defense. But I’m trying to do the best that I can, and I did it today. It feels great.”

Grinding through the ailment, Hernández showed how much he can impact a game, even when operating at less than 100 percent. In addition to the rally-inspiring homer, the outfielder also had the best defensive play of the night, tracking down a sharp flyball from Franmil Reyes in the fourth inning and sliding down the right-field line for a great catch that ended the frame.

It wasn’t easy to run down that ball with a bad ankle, but Hernández understands the importance of the moment for a Blue Jays team vying to stay within an AL Wild Card spot.

“I’m going to give everything that I’ve got, even if I feel pain in my ankle. I’m going to try to help the team in any way that I can,” said Hernández. “I’m going to keep going until it breaks, if I have to.”

No one was more appreciative of it than starter Kevin Gausman, who pitched six innings of two-run ball with nine strikeouts, one walk and five hits -- including two solo homers.

“I didn’t think he had a chance to get to it,” said Gausman. “When he’s going at his best, this is what he’s capable of doing. Hopefully, this is something that we can see a lot in the future, going forward. But he’s been great. He’s been super transparent, open about everything, so that’s all you can ask for in a guy.”

Hernández spent the off-day on Monday exercising and rehabbing the foot as best he could. With the weight of every game increasing from now until early October, his presence and contribution cannot be overstated.

“He’s obviously grinding through it. At this point in the season, everyone kind of is,” said Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider. “But you can see what he can do to the lineup with one swing.”

Tuesday’s win was the type of game that Blue Jays fans got used to watching last year, when Hernández became a two-time Silver Slugger and Guerrero finished at second place in AL MVP votes. The two stars combined for all five of their team’s RBIs, providing some reprieve after a few bad offensive bounces in recent games.

All that was left for Guerrero to do after the game was send Báez a message.

“I’m sure he’ll be happy and he’ll laugh about it,” said Guerrero.