Blue Jays’ offensive barrage vs. Red Sox leads to third straight series win

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 held off 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, however 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 frame resulted in a 3-1 lead for the Blue Jays and exhibited precisely the type of approach Schneider was talking about. 

“When it starts to go, everyone kind of feels it,” Schneider said following the contest. “And I think everyone kind of narrows in their focus a little bit. I thought up and down today, the bats were really good.”

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.

It was the first game action for Springer since he fouled a ball off his left big toe on April 11. 

“Brutal,” Springer responded with a smile when asked what it was like watching games from the bench. “It’s a broken toe. So, it’s just one of those things where as long as I feel like I can go, I’m going to go.”

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 club believes 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. 

Lauer lauded the Blue Jays’ “excellent” communication through this chaotic period and says his focus is on having success on the mound.

“I know Jose is close to coming back,” Lauer said. “I think the biggest point for me is to just make sure I’m throwing quality innings whenever I’m in there. 

“We have a lot of good, hard decisions to make,” he added. “It’s a good thing.”

While it’s unclear if that decision was discussed during the pre-game meeting on Wednesday, the participants did pull up overall numbers from April of 2025 and noticed similarities with 2026 in defensive efficiency, positioning, pitching and batted ball contact. 

“And then you pull up September of 2025 and see how it changed significantly,” said Schneider. “It’s just how you get it to change is the most important thing.”

One area that was identified was chase and the Blue Jays have seen a 5.2-per cent increase from last year in their out-of-zone swing percentage. While of course it’s a small sample, it is worth noting that’s the third-highest increase among MLB teams.

“Early on, guys, including myself, may have been trying to do a little too much at certain times,” said Springer. “I think that’s pretty normal for early in the year. And I think as you progress, as the year progresses, guys kind of slow down and settle into who you are as a hitter, while still trying to adjust to how each team attacks you individually.”

The needlework continues. 

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 held off for a bit given the heavy roster churn the club has undergone over the season’s opening month.  Local, Sports 

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 held off 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, however 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 frame resulted in a 3-1 lead for the Blue Jays and exhibited precisely the type of approach Schneider was talking about. 

“When it starts to go, everyone kind of feels it,” Schneider said following the contest. “And I think everyone kind of narrows in their focus a little bit. I thought up and down today, the bats were really good.”

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.

It was the first game action for Springer since he fouled a ball off his left big toe on April 11. 

“Brutal,” Springer responded with a smile when asked what it was like watching games from the bench. “It’s a broken toe. So, it’s just one of those things where as long as I feel like I can go, I’m going to go.”

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 club believes 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. 

Lauer lauded the Blue Jays’ “excellent” communication through this chaotic period and says his focus is on having success on the mound.

“I know Jose is close to coming back,” Lauer said. “I think the biggest point for me is to just make sure I’m throwing quality innings whenever I’m in there. 

“We have a lot of good, hard decisions to make,” he added. “It’s a good thing.”

While it’s unclear if that decision was discussed during the pre-game meeting on Wednesday, the participants did pull up overall numbers from April of 2025 and noticed similarities with 2026 in defensive efficiency, positioning, pitching and batted ball contact. 

“And then you pull up September of 2025 and see how it changed significantly,” said Schneider. “It’s just how you get it to change is the most important thing.”

One area that was identified was chase and the Blue Jays have seen a 5.2-per cent increase from last year in their out-of-zone swing percentage. While of course it’s a small sample, it is worth noting that’s the third-highest increase among MLB teams.

“Early on, guys, including myself, may have been trying to do a little too much at certain times,” said Springer. “I think that’s pretty normal for early in the year. And I think as you progress, as the year progresses, guys kind of slow down and settle into who you are as a hitter, while still trying to adjust to how each team attacks you individually.”

The needlework continues.