ST. LOUIS – On Shakespeare’s night at Busch Stadium, the Blue Jays enjoyed a completely drama-free game. They threw well. They played well. They have hit well. They won.
It wouldn’t have served to play much, but as the baseball games went on? The 8-1 win Tuesday night over the St. Paul Cardinals. Louis was exactly what the Blue Jays needed given their recent plate fights.
“Everyone needed that day,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “It was great to see how the attack came to life.”
“He’s been pretty quiet lately,” headline Kevin Gausman added. “For us to get our mojo back, to have that energy so high, everyone who spoke at the dugout was thrilled to see it because that’s what we normally are.”
While the return of the attack was easily the most important development here, the Blue Jays ’starting pitcher was as effective as ever. Gausman continued to throw like an ace, advancing through six goalless innings with apparent ease, allowing just four hits and two passes while putting up eight.
He generated 23 swinging shots while throwing 105 pitches, the highest of the season. At the end of the night, he led the American League in throws (56) and WAR (2.4 and counting).
But by now, we’ve come to expect this from Gausman, the fast-splitter ball combination has eluded opposing batters all season. Most notable was the offensive attack of a Blue Jays team that started the day with an abysmal .209 / .286 / .318 in May.
“We’ve had to tackle 100 (mph) in the last four days, so if the guys are a little hung up, I could understand that,” Gausman said. “But as this team goes on, I think you’ll see that it’s deep. Any of these guys could do a home run at any time. It’s been a pleasure to see you tonight. “
Danny Jansen hit two homers and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. he added a 438-foot homer, no doubt, as the Blue Jays combined 12 hits on their way to their biggest offensive blast in weeks. Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk had multi-hit games, while George Springer and Matt Chapman walked twice as the Blue Jays improved to 23-20.
For a team that had been struggling to become runners at the base, this outburst did more than secure the Blue Jays from a series division. It can also take some pressure on a group of hitters who have been struggling to get results with little to show for their efforts.
“Everyone is pressing at the same time,” Montoyo said before the game. “When your team is under pressure, everyone works harder and harder with the men in goal position. That’s the decent thing to do, and it should end there. “
Maybe this batter will be Jansen, who now has five homers in just 11 games this year thanks in part to his strength approach. He pulled off two homers on Tuesday, including a three-run shot in the fourth inning that hit the left post of the free kick.
“It’s my strength and it’s always been my strength,” Jansen said. “It simply came to our notice then. It’s been great for me. “
He was also significant to Guerrero Jr. add a home run since it had a .641 OPS in May coming into play on Tuesday. Just before he could dig deeper, he told Montoyo that he was beginning to feel closed.
“I’ve been working really hard and I feel like the more I work, the better I feel,” Guerrero Jr. said. through performer Hector Lebron. “That’s what I meant when I told Charlie that.”
Considering a clash with Shohei Ohtani waiting for Anaheim on Thursday, this was the perfect time for the team to come out of their fall. But Guerrero Jr. he said that facing Ohtani, who won him the American League MVP award last year, is nothing new.
“We know Ohtani is one of the best, but I faced him last year, so it’s kind of normal for me,” he said.
Thanks to the offensive outburst, the Blue Jays were able to come out with just three pitchers on Tuesday night when it was believed Adam Cimber and David Phelps were unavailable. After Gausman left, Ross Stripling threw two innings and Andrew Vazquez threw one, saving the rest of the bullpen for the Angels series.
Most important of all, though, the Blue Jays offense finally looked like the group that led the American League in home runs and OPS a year ago. Talent has always been there, and for at least one night, the results began to follow.
“Hitting is contagious,” Jansen said. “It always is.”
Or, as Shakespeare said in Hamlet: “A success, a very tangible success!”