TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays held their “State of the Squad” on Wednesday morning for the first time this season. The meeting, which includes the coaching staff and various front-office personnel, typically occurs biweekly but was postponed for a bit given the heavy roster churn the club has undergone over the season’s opening month.
The Blue Jays entered the day at 13-16, an identical record to last year at this time, and while that makes for an “eerily similar” coincidence, according to manager John Schneider, the pathway to such results is different.
Correcting poor baserunning was a key focus early last season, but much of Wednesday’s State of the Squad was spent discussing offence. The Blue Jays are swinging a lot and making plenty of contact, yet they’re also showing a high chase rate. That makes for a “weird combination,” according to Schneider.
“So, you look at it in totality,” said the manager. “There’s some things that drive those numbers up, but I think what we’re looking at right now is just the at-bat profile and quality and how, in the short term, we need to diversify it a little bit. When you’re not slugging and making contact, okay, that contact needs to come at the right time. If you’re not making contact and you’re slugging, okay, that’s a different story.
“So, it’s trying to thread that needle.”
Wednesday’s performance added some positive data to the equation as the Blue Jays poured on the runs in an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox in front of 41,314 at Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays have now won three straight series and concluded their homestand with four wins in six games.
Central to Wednesday’s triumph was a key, death-by-the-single third inning against Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello. The Blue Jays loaded the bases with three singles before Kazuma Okamoto ripped his own into left field to drive in two runs. Yohendrick Pinango added an RBI single that almost cashed in another run, but Okamoto was thrown out by Red Sox left-fielder Roman Anthony in a close play at the plate. The impressive inning resulted in a 3-1 lead for the Blue Jays.
Additionally, Ernie Clement and Brandon Valenzuela homered, while George Springer, who was activated off the injured list before the game with Eloy Jimenez designated for assignment to make room, contributed a pinch-hit RBI single.
The barrage of offence benefited the Blue Jays pitching staff, which received 4.1 innings of one-run ball from starter Eric Lauer.
The left-hander’s role had been in flux this week because of the return of Trey Yesavage and Max Scherzer hitting the IL. He likely won’t find much certainty over the next few days, either, as the Blue Jays decide on the length of Jose Berrios’s rehab stint.
The right-hander experienced a drop in velocity during his outing in triple-A on Tuesday, but the Blue Jays believe that could be attributed to cold weather and plan to assess how Berrios feels before charting next steps. There’s a possibility he could make his next outing on Monday with the big-league team, and that figures to push Lauer to the bullpen.