Blue Jays smell blood in the water, trounce Red Sox 9-0 to reach halfway point in style
If there has been a flaw in the Blue Jays' impressive climb to post-season contention while leaving the .500 mark in the dust, it has been their sometimes inability to go for the jugular.
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Losing two of three against the Chicago White Sox at the Rogers Centre a week ago was the most recent example.
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So, what to expect when heading to Boston's famed Fenway Park to end the first half of the season against a foundering Red Sox team that had dropped its previous five?
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How about one of their more complete games of the season in a dominating 9-0 trouncing to kick off the first of a three-game weekend set in Beantown.
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Yes, what a resounding way to officially reach the midway point of the season for manager John Schneider's soaring squad.
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There was starting pitcher Jose Berrios going seven full innings, striking out eight and allowing just four Red Sox hits to lower his ERA to 3.26. By the time Nick Sandlin came on in relief, the Jays were already up 9-0. Berrios has now recorded wins in four of his past five starts, giving the team the reliable type of outings that have been his calling card.
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There were three-hit nights from George Springer (who might well be the Jays MVP of the first half of the season) and Andres Gimenez, the latter driving in three runs as his batting average inched above .200. In all, six different Jays batsmen recorded at least a pair of hits as the team pounded out 16 in total.
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And before the game, there was good news in the form of first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr., who was a late addition to the starting lineup. There was concern over the $500-million man from the previous day in Cleveland when he was hit by a pitch, but Guerrero's love for hitting at Fenway prevailed and he responded with a pair of hits, a walk and three runs scored.
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With the win, the Jays improved to 44-37 and shut out an opponent for a second consecutive contest after blanking the Guardians 6-0 on Thursday. Getting seven games above .500 matches a season-high for the Jays this season, the fourth time they've done so.
With two weekend games remaining, the Jays now have the opportunity to inflict some serious damage on the reeling Red Sox — a divisional foe threatening to play themselves out of the American League wild-card race.
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The Jays arrived in Boston with an opportunity to make a large statement and certainly landed blow after blow in Round 1, as they improved to 4-1 at Fenway so far this season. There is something clearly rotten in Red Sox Nation and good teams thrive on the opportunity presented by blood in the water.
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It's certainly starting to feel as if there is some momentum with a team that has gone 28-17 since May 9, the third best record in the majors since then.
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There have been ups and downs, sure, and inconsistencies. But on the other side, the Jays completed the first half of the season without meaningful contributions from their two biggest off-season acquisitions — Max Scherzer and Anthony Santander, the latter still on the injured list with shoulder issues.
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But the resilience they've shown along the way has set them up for success. And winning three of the first four contests on this six-game road trip is not only a terrific launching point to the second half of the season, but a nice setup for a rather large four-game series against the division-leading New York Yankees beginning Monday at the Rogers Centre.
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