Blue Jays capitalize on Diamondbacks' miscue, return from break with convincing win

TORONTO – We’ve seen — and heard about it — all too often this season. The Toronto Blue Jays put runners on base, move them into scoring position, then fail to cash them in. It contributes in a big way to another loss and there you have it, the dead horse is usually beat.

On Friday, the Blue Jays showed what the opposite of that looks like, exploding with a five-run seventh inning in which they did everything right. The rally lifted the club to a 7-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rogers Centre to begin the second half of the season on a strong note. 

With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth, Kevin Kiermaier got it started with a double off left-handed reliever Kyle Nelson. After George Springer was hit by a pitch, Bo Bichette flied out to right field. The next batter, Brandon Belt, grounded to second base in what looked like a tailor-made, inning-ending double play. 

However, Ketel Marte’s off-the-mark throw caused shortstop Geraldo Perdomo to collide with a sliding Springer, in turn preventing him from turning two and allowing Kiermaier to score from third.

If that miscue doesn’t happen, the inning ends, the game remains tied and who knows.

However, the Diamondbacks offered up a gift and the Blue Jays pounced.

“An underrated play was George going hard into second there to prevent that double play,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Maybe the inning’s over. But, it allows you to pull away.”

And the Blue Jays certainly did pull away. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled, Matt Chapman doubled and Whit Merrifield added a two-run single to right field. Each of those hits came with two outs and by the end of the frame, the Blue Jays had plated five runs. 

“It just gets a little contagious,” Schneider said. “Good at-bats up and down. Took advantage of some of their miscues, which is really hard to come by with that club.”

A big inning like that can have trickle down effects in many areas. For example, it eases pressure on the pitching staff, which doesn’t have to constantly pitch under duress and have each pitch take on extreme significance.

Jose Berrios started for the Blue Jays and for most of his outing, the right-hander needed to make such high-leverage pitches in what was then a close game.

Berrios allowed one run on seven hits over 5.1 innings, walking one and striking out four. Pitching with extended rest courtesy of the All-Star break and his last turn through the rotation coming July 6, the right-hander’s velocity was up across the board with his fastball averaging 94.8 m.p.h. and topping out at 96 m.p.h.

“It was eight days from my last start,” Berrios said. “It was better than I expected. [During the All-Star break] I was trying to stay with my routine, still working out. I did my bullpen session Tuesday but it’s still the All-Star break — my mind was relaxed, kind of on vacation … So today, I didn’t feel well but I've been throwing the ball pretty well, I think.”

Like Berrios, most Blue Jays were off during the break, however that wasn’t the case for the team’s All-Star representatives Jordan Romano — who Schneider said has healed from a back issue that flared up during the Midsummer Classic and will be available out of the bullpen on Saturday — Bichette, Merrifield and Home Run Derby champion Guerrero Jr.

The slugger brought his hot bat back with him to Toronto, launching a solo shot in the second inning on Friday to become the first Derby champ to ever homer in their first at-bat after winning the title.

“Obviously, the Derby is over, but in that at-bat I was just looking for a particular pitch and I got good contact on it,” Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “[The Derby and regular season are] two separate things, but at the same time, in my case, it helps my swing a little bit.”

The Diamondbacks, who sit one game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, also feature four All-Stars, including former Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Friday marked the beginning of the “Revenge Series,” as Schneider jokingly dubbed it, because it was the first time the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays have faced each other since completing the winter trade that sent Daulton Varsho to Toronto in exchange for Gabriel Moreno and Gurriel Jr. 

All three players were in the lineup on Friday and Gurriel Jr. — a fan favourite during his five seasons with the Blue Jays — received a standing ovation from the 38,617 in attendance before his first plate appearance. 

Sporting purple hair to represent his new team’s colours, Gurriel Jr. was greeted by former teammates and coaches on the field during batting practice and told reporters he was not surprised by the Dec. 23 deal that sent him away from the organization that signed him out of Cuba in 2016.

“It's part of the game,” Gurriel Jr. said through an interpreter. “Trades are there. You just have to understand it and move on.”

The outfielder, who has 15 homers and an .805 OPS, said he’s been healthy this season after left wrist issues hampered his ability to hit for power last year. Blue Jays pitchers limited him to one single in four at-bats on Friday, while Moreno collected two hits, including a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning.

Varsho, meanwhile, notched a single while also contributing defensively. The left-fielder, who leads all MLB outfielders in defensive runs saved, showed off that side of his game in the fifth inning when he executed a perfect throw to second base to nab Evan Longoria as he tried to stretch a hit down the third-base line into a double. 

While Varsho is slashing just .215/.280/.368 on the season, he’s shown an impressive ability to compartmentalize the two sides of the game, according to his manager.

“He's a former catcher,” Schneider said. “I think catchers have to be good at separating offence and defence, and I think that's ingrained in him. For as frustrating as it can be at times at the plate for him or anyone, he can kind of flip the switch and say, ‘Okay, now I'm a baserunner, now I'm an outfielder.’ He's been really good at that so far this year.”

While Varsho’s results with the bat have yet to live up to its capabilities, the same can be said for the team’s offence as a whole. However, large outbursts like the seventh-inning rally on Friday can certainly help in that regard.

“Everyone in the clubhouse will tell you the same — our best baseball is in front of us,” said Schneider. “So, really good to get off on that note tonight. Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”

Added Guerrero Jr.: “It's like I always say, it's not the way you started, it’s the way you finish. We are all on the same page, same mentality, all together. That's going to help us to have a great second half.”