Solid Eric Lauer start and George Springer grand slam helps Blue Jays launch critical 10-game stretch
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Another week, another mountain to climb in a Blue Jays season that always seems to feel that what awaits is mostly uphill.
The Jays certainly had plenty happening as a six-game road trip began on the right foot on Tuesday night with the first of three in Cleveland, a 10-6 win over the Guardians.
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Celebration was in order before the trip started when the probable pitcher assignments were released revealing Eric Lauer slotted for Tuesday and the long, long, long awaited return of Max Scherzer scheduled for Wednesday.
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Why the big deal? For the first time since the opening week of the season, it meant the Jays had an honest-to-goodness five-man rotation.
Then there was the fact that the Guardians series began the latest stretch of 10 critical games, a ride that will take the Jays through the midway point of the season.
But the first order of business was the latest effort from Lauer, who seemingly out of nowhere has been a saviour for a Jays rotation with its share of issues.
The well-travelled lefty gave manager John Schneider 5.1 scoreless innings before allowing a solo homer to the Guardians' Carlos Santana to end his night. But going as deep as he did — Lauer's longest outing of the season — helped him to lower his ERA to 2.21 while improving his won-loss record to 4-1.
Where the Jays would be without him is a worthy discussion, but credit to Lauer, who has made the best of the opportunity presented to him by Scherzer's injury and the struggles of Bowden Francis.
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Speaking of Scherzer, all eyes not just with the Blue Jays but around baseball will be on the 40-year-old right-hander when he makes just his second start with the Jays and first since March 29.
Scherzer himself has admitted to being nervous wondering how his wonky thumb will hold up under the stress of a game situation. But the mere prospect of having the two-time Cy Young Award winner back in the rotation is hugely enticing for the Jays.
As for the heavy-lifting ahead, the next three opponents are noteworthy. The Guardians and the Boston Red Sox, who the Jays visit on the weekend, are both on the Jays tail in the wild-card race. Then comes a rather large feeling four-game home set against the division leading New York Yankees that begins on Monday and includes the annual Canada Day extravaganza the following day.
Winning the first of those not only wipes away the bad taste of losing two-of-three to the lowly Chicago White Sox and boosts the Jays back to six games above .500 with a record of 42-36.
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BULLPEN WOES
Given the current form and health in the bullpen, you get the feeling that nothing will come easy for the Jays going forward. And Tuesday was just the latest example.
Once again, the visitors turned what for most of the evening seemed like a walk-in-the-park win into what was briefly an unnecessarily high stress affair from the seventh inning on.
It started when Mason Fluharty walked two of the three batters he faced, a lack of control that promptly got him replaced by Chad Green, who promptly surrendered a three-run homer to light-hitting Lane Thomas to cut the Toronto lead to 6-4.
Alas, the Jays would get it all back in more in the eighth when George Springer launched a two-out grand slam, the eighth of his career.
Back to the bullpen: The Jays needed five relievers to get through 4.2 innings after Lauer's exit, a less than ideal development.
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Get the latest from Rob Longley straight to your inbox Blue Jays outfielder George Springer stands in front of the scoreboard during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, June 28, 2025, at Fenway Park. Photo by Mark Stockwell / AP photo The close-up camera shots in the dugout of Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker often tell the story of what's going on with the team and on Saturday they spoke volumes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In fact, the zoomed-in pictures came early at Fenway Park as Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt was getting hammered by the Red Sox, eventually leaving after two-plus miserable innings. Yes, the Fenway Follies that so often mark games at the Boston baseball cathedral can — and often do — go both ways. So, a day after blanking the Bosox 9-0, the home side turned the tables with a 15-1 blowout, handing the Jays their most lopsided defeat, not just of the season but since the New York Yankees beat them by the same margin on Sept. 20, 2020. It was pretty much as ugly as it sounded, too, especially early on for the veteran right-hander Bassitt. 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