George Springer scores 100th run, his highest total with the Blue Jays

Article content

Staging a major-league game in a minor-league park simply does not work, a reality the Jays have faced three times this season in three different series, including twice at Tampa’s temporary home at Steinbrenner Field.

Article content

Fortunately, two games remain with the hope the Jays will never play a consequential game in Tampa again.

Article content

Article content

The temporary home of the Athletics before they relocate to Las Vegas is another story, but the story from Tuesday night’s matchup between the Jays and Rays was worthy of a comic book.

The following are three takeaways on a night the Jays led 4-0 early en route to a 6-5 win that featured a nervous ninth as Toronto moved one step closer to securing a playoff berth and potentially home-field advantage throughout the post-season.

1. The weak case for Berrios

He started on opening day as the 2025 season was ushered in and started for the Blue Jays the last time the club appeared in a post-season game, an inglorious 2-0 loss in Minnesota as the Twins earned a wild-card sweep.

Article content

Article content

Jose Berrios has been a staple and stalwart in Toronto’s rotation, but questions persist as the post-season nears when big decisions on the playoff roster will be made.

One day after rookie Trey Yesavage turned heads in his big-league debut, Berrios took the hill in his 30th start of the season.

Every outing for Berrios looms large given what awaits in terms of roster configuration

He knows it and he clearly wore it by showing his frustration on a border-line call that went against Berrios with one out in the third inning.

Berrios needed to be calmed down.

Brandon Lowe went deep to right field for what appeared to be a three-run home run.

Video review was initiated by the crew chief after a fan reached over the wall, ostensibly denying Nathan Lukes of making the catch.

Article content

Strangely, it was ruled fan interference, but it was also deemed to be a homer in the wake of no definitive determination the ball would not have left the park.

Regardless of the odd ruling conveyed by Laz Diaz, it was a 4-3 game.

Berrios needed 37 pitches to record the three outs as his struggles continued.

Lukes, meanwhile, was at the centre of another contentious sequence when he sent a ball deep into right field in the top of the fourth that also involved a fan.

Upon video review, it was ruled a homer, the 11th of the season for Lukes.

There was no doubt when Joey Loperfido crushed a ball deep into right field for a pinch-hit homer, a two-out solo blast that gave the Jays a 6-3 lead in the fifth.

There is doubt on the playoff viability of Berrios following his 4.0-inning outing.

Article content

He recorded zero strikeouts.

2. Ahead by a century

With the regular season winding down, the off-season of award winners will begin in earnest.

Bo Bichette won’t be back for any of the Jays’ final games with the hope he can return at some point during the playoffs.

No Bo means George Springer is hands down the club MVP.

A healthy Bo would have generated much discussion.

Any talk has officially ended as Springer will get consideration for league MVP, an award he won’t win, but the mere mention will speak volumes.

He led off Tuesday’s game on a single as Springer extended his hit streak to six games, one shy of his season high.

He came around to score the game’s first run.

The run was Springer’s 100th of the season, a first for Springer as a Blue Jay.

Article content

In the second inning, his one-out single drove in two runs as Springer notched his 77th and 78th RBI of the season, the most he’s knocked in during his time with the Blue Jays.

3. Agent zero

With all due respect to Gilbert Arenas, the noted hoopster who wore jersey No. 0 during his days in the NBA, Andres Gimenez isn’t providing the Jays with nothing, despite what people are led to believe.

His bat, needless to say, has been more off than on, but his glove has never wavered.

In his first at-bat Tuesday, Gimenez drew a walk to load the bases in the second.

He came around to score on a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. single as Toronto extended its lead to 4-0, while ending the night for Rays starter Ryan Pepiot.

Tuesday’s start was the fifth for Gimenez at short.

Up next

It will be interesting to see what Kevin Gausman does for an encore Wednesday after the veteran right-hander spun a complete game shutout over the Houston Astros in his last start, a master class in pitching when Gausman gave up two hits; he has thrown at least 100 pitches in his past two outings; combined, Gausman has yielded two earned runs in his past three starts; first pitch in the third game of the four-game series is 7:05 p.m.

Article content