TORONTO -- Even the messy ones have a winner and a loser, and by the time the Blue Jays board their flight to Baltimore this evening, all they’ll remember from this one is a series win.
Wednesday’s 2-1 win was defined more by the Marlins’ extreme aggression on the bases, which worked against them just as often as it helped them, but the Blue Jays just kept finding ways to wiggle out of jams.
Now 27-29, this is what mattered most from the series finale:
1. BIG OAK: The drought is over
Kazuma Okamoto opened the month of May by launching five home runs over a five-game stretch. He’d been quiet for the past few weeks, but finally, Okamoto broke out of his power slump Wednesday with a solo shot to the opposite field in the fifth inning.
Okamoto still holds a comfortable team lead with this being his 11th home run, nearly double the next-closest hitter in Jesús Sánchez (6). He also holds the team lead in RBIs (29).
“When he’s staying to that side of the field, in center and right-center, he’s got pretty elite power,” manager John Schneider said. “That was just a really good approach.”
All of these categories typically belong to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but the Blue Jays’ star simply hasn’t been himself this season. There have been encouraging signs along the way, including two hits and a walk in Wednesday’s win, but no one wants to settle for silver linings from the face of the franchise. The Blue Jays need significantly more from Guerrero than what they’ve gotten, but in the meantime, it’s up to Okamoto, Sánchez and the Blue Jays’ secondary power threats to fill the void.
It’s also important for Okamoto to heat up again before Addison Barger returns, which could be at some point in the coming weeks. The outfield is crowded, including Sánchez in right field overlapping with Barger, so there could be a temptation to give Barger more reps at third base, particularly against righties. If Okamoto is swinging like he was earlier this month, though, there’s no taking him out of this lineup.
2. BOTH SIDES: Nathan Lukes
This game captured Lukes’ talent so well. It shows up in big spots, like his game-tying double to deep right field in the sixth inning, but also in more subtle moments.
Let’s go back to the third inning. With runners on first and second and one out, the Marlins shot a single to right field. While Lukes raced over to field the ball, the Marlins’ third-base coach was actually waving their runner home, but he was forced to pile on the brakes when Lukes fired a strike to Tyler Heineman at home. A weaker throw, or even a slower transfer, would have left the door wide open for that run to score.
This is what coaches and teammates are talking about when they mention “things that don’t show up in the box score”. It’s also why you’ll see Lukes in the lineup as often as Schneider can wedge him in there.
“He’s a good player, man. He showed it all last year,” Schneider said. “It’s having that consistency of the at-bats and his heads-up plays defensively.”
This team is trying to get back to “Blue Jays baseball”. Lukes plays Blue Jays baseball.
3. TRADE: Blue Jays acquire Seabold
Midway through the first inning, the Blue Jays announced they’d acquired right-hander Connor Seabold from the Tigers for Minor League lefty Juanmi Vasquez. Seabold is a familiar name to the Blue Jays after he spent Spring Training with the organization and competed for one of the final roster spots.
Seabold was recently designated for assignment by the Tigers, but he’d put up a 3.45 ERA over 11 appearances (15 2/3 IP). For now, consider Seabold to be a swingman, given his history of starting and working out of the bullpen.
At this time of year, it’s difficult to find true MLB-caliber starting pitching without paying a premium, so the Blue Jays are clearly taking more of a “bulk” approach, which has worked well with Rule 5 sensation Spencer Miles. The Blue Jays also need to fill Dylan Cease’s rotation spot which comes up Friday in Baltimore. Triple-A starters Chad Dallas and CJ Van Eyk remain options along with Austin Voth, who was recalled prior to Wednesday’s game.
Until the Blue Jays are out of this terrible run of injury luck, expect them to continue scouring the waiver wire and low-end trade market for any pitchers who can eat innings.