TORONTO -- “It’s nine vs. one every day.”
That’s what Blue Jays hitters have heard from manager John Schneider all season. The buy-in is visible, as are the results. It worked again on Saturday afternoon, when the Blue Jays rode another big inning to a 6-3 win over the Giants at Rogers Centre.
“When you know you're hitting 7-8-9, whatever it is, the tendency is to kind of chase results,” Schneider said after the win. “And the guys aren't doing that. … You have to have nine players trying to be the starter, and you have to have 13 who are ready to win a game. We've stressed that from the get-go this year, and they've embraced it.”
Everyone in the starting lineup got at least one hit and the bottom of the order drove in all six runs as the home team picked up its 28th comeback win of the season -- tied with the Angels for the most in the American League -- and maintained its lead over the Yankees in the AL East.
On Friday, Justin Verlander was at the wrong end of a game-defining four-run frame. Saturday was Logan Webb’s turn to witness the relentlessness of this Blue Jays lineup.
After failing to capitalize with runners on base early on, Toronto reversed its fortunes in the sixth inning. It started at the top, with a single from Bo Bichette and a double from Addison Barger -- who had a career-high four hits in the game. Then came the bottom of the lineup, willing to do what was needed to cash in those runs.
Does all of it sound familiar? It’s been the winning recipe for a Blue Jays team built on putting the ball in play and executing on the fundamentals. When it’s working, this is what it looks like.
Toronto’s hitters struck out just three times in the win, one more than their total the day prior, and the Blue Jays didn’t veer from their approach even when those early chances against Webb slipped away.
“Logan Webb is a multiple-time All-Star. You trust that guy for sure,” said Schneider. “And I think that we were continuing to make progress. … We kind of just stayed really diligent with our approach and came through.”
Schneider is running out of ways to compliment the job the Blue Jays’ role players have done this season. This time, the spotlight was on Tyler Heineman, Ernie Clement and Will Wagner, but we’ve seen this from so many other guys throughout the season.
It’s working because they’re embracing it. They’re embracing it because they trust that it will work. Once again prompted to sing the praises of the unheralded hitters in his lineup, Schneider made sure to highlight the work that’s done behind the scenes.
“It starts with [hitting coaches David Popkins], Lou [lannotti] and Hunter [Mense] really diving into what these guys are good at and how they're going to be pitched, and having a good plan,” said Schneider. “And then it's the guys buying into that plan and sticking with it. It's not easy to do when you don't play every day.”
From then on, it’s nine vs. one. Opposing pitchers can circle certain names in the Blue Jays’ lineup, but they can’t afford to coast against the club with the fewest strikeouts in MLB.
“It's a tough game plan when you're facing a team like ours,” said starter Eric Lauer. “Just because there is so much contact, and that's what hitters want. Put the ball in play, good things happen. That's kind of what we've been doing.”
The Blue Jays could afford to wait until the sixth to make a comeback in large part because of Lauer’s performance. The left-hander struck out seven with no walks and just two hits (one solo homer) over six innings of two-run ball, carrying a perfect game into the fifth inning and again making good on the Blue Jays’ trust.
Add another name to this team’s list of unexpected heroes.
“What he's been able to do, to come in and just give us a chance to win every game, it's invaluable,” said Clement. “Tip of the cap to him. He's probably been our unsung MVP so far.”
Who knows how many more will emerge throughout the season -- or who will get the laurels tomorrow.