After shortened series in Boston, Guerrero Jr. and Blue Jays look to build needed momentum

27/06/2024

BOSTON — As the rain poured heavily at Fenway Park in Boston on Wednesday night and players vacated the field, Yariel Rodriguez provided a sight that you’ll rarely see. The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander headed out to the visitors’ bullpen to get in some extra work and build his pitch count up.

His one-inning, 15-pitch outing was cut short when the Blue Jays-Red Sox game went into a rain delay in the top of the second. It was eventually suspended due to an extended period of severe weather and will resume on Aug. 26 at 2:05 p.m. ET as part of a doubleheader.

The rain robbed Rodriguez of a chance to rebound from his rough performance last Friday in Cleveland and it also halted the Blue Jays’ efforts to build on a big victory one night prior. After snapping a seven-game losing streak Tuesday, the Blue Jays will try to gather momentum when they return home to Rogers Centre on Thursday for the first of a four-game set against the American League-leading New York Yankees.

At 36-43 and sitting in the basement of the AL East, the Blue Jays desperately need to string together wins. The club is 6.5 games behind the third wild-card spot and has a 4.8 per cent chance to make the playoffs, per FanGraphs.

The July 30 trade deadline is quickly approaching and, as things stand right now, it’s hard to imagine the Blue Jays would be buyers. In fact, unless things change drastically, there’s an argument to be made that the club should deal its impeding free agents — Yusei Kikuchi, Yimi Garcia, Danny Jansen and Kevin Kiermaier among them — if not engage in a much larger selloff.

The point is that things need to change right away and that won’t be easy. Following the series against New York, the Blue Jays will host the surging Houston Astros for four games and then head to Seattle for a three-game set against the first-place Mariners.

Aside from snapping their losing streak, a major positive from the Blue Jays’ shortened series in Boston was the continued reemergence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The first baseman collected five hits and drove in seven runs over the club’s two games at Fenway. He launched a mammoth home run that left the stadium altogether and now has three homers and three doubles over his last five games.

Guerrero Jr.’s bat has the potential to carry the Blue Jays lineup for a stretch and that will certainly bear watching this weekend.

“Vladdy is pretty locked in right now,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

Shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the lineup on Tuesday after spending 10 days on the injured list with a right calf issue and the Blue Jays will potentially get another reinforcement Thursday when outfielder Daulton Varsho is expected to return to the lineup after being sidelined with a back issue.

We’ll get a chance to see that sort-of-new-look lineup in action when Jose Berrios toes the rubber for the Blue Jays against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon on Thursday night.

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