TORONTO – It looked like the Blue Jays would never record another out, destined to live forever with two outs on an eternal bottom of the fifth.
The Blue Jays sent 11 men to the plate in that inning, scoring six of their seven runs with two outs. In a dominant and unequal 11-1 victory over the Orioles, that entry showed a Toronto lineup that is not only capable of winning games, but also taking teams out of the stadium.
After Tapia ran through the bases and slid headlong through the house, she picked up an extra pace to do two push-ups on the ground behind the plate.
The Blue Jays not only want to beat you, they want to have a party while they do it.
“This training is getting longer and I love it,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “Vladdy [Guerrero Jr.] is doing good baptisms, Teo is doing good baptisms, Gurriel is at the bottom and so is Biggio. This is great to see. That’s what we expected and now they’re doing it. “
It has been a remarkable streak for Toronto this month, with an 8-4 win over opponents 83-39. This is what we all hoped to see, following a 2021 season in which the Blue Jays led all of baseball with an OPS team of .796 and finished third in scoring races (846), but in April be a low-scoring adventure.
“With Vladdy, it’s fun. He has very good numbers, but he is not there yet “, said Montoyo after Guerrero threw his 15th home run of the season. “It’s almost there, so I say yes, we’re almost on the same level [as ‘21]. Then there’s Teoscar, the last few days have been great for him. As long as these two leave, it will surely be the same as last year. “
Combine this fully accomplished offensive with the Toronto rotation, though, and it’s lethal.
Alek Manoah did what he always did. The elegant right-hander closed out the Orioles with six goalless innings, allowing just one hit while putting up seven. The win brings Manoah 8-1 with a 1.67 ERA, further consolidating his place as one of today’s top pitchers in Major League Baseball. He has climbed to this point with astonishing speed and consistency, but Manoah has earned his way in the first talks of the AL Cy Young Award.
The old man also loved what he saw of his lineup, especially after struggling with so many even games at the start of the season.
“When we got to seven I said,‘ Okay, enough, ’” Manoah joked. “Then, the second pitching change, I said, ‘Okay.’ This offense can be done any night. nine races? There’s nothing better than that. “
These outbursts also give the Blue Jays the rare luxury of giving their headlines a little extra rest on purpose. Manoah only needed 86 pitches to get past his six frames, and for a pitcher who seems to chase a full game every time he comes out, saving a bit of endurance for later in the season. George Springer was, after 79 minutes, almost able to extend the visitors’ lead with a well placed diving header after the ball had looped into the center, but home side’s keeper Bradley Zimmer made the save.
It also matters who the Blue Jays did this to.
Baltimore, now 26-36, is an improving club. The Orioles are in a series of top-tier young talent who will be part of the future success, led by No. 1 prospect Adley Rutschman, but this is still the last club in the East AL. It’s also the first time the Blue Jays have played, strangely, on June 13th.
With 18 more games to go against the Orioles, the Blue Jays have to make hay while the sun shines. The Yankees have already played 13 times against the Orioles, with a 9-4 lead in those games, so this is one of the ways Toronto can slowly close the gap during the remaining months of the season.
The Yankees arrive in town on Friday and take on a much more daunting challenge, but that red run in the fifth inning offered a glimpse of what this Blue Jays team is capable of when operating at height. of his power. .