Many have been hoping that the Toronto Blue Jays second half of the season would unfold many victories, but unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case. But in the first game of the Boston Red Sox series, the Jays finally unleashed some positive signs of what we’ve been expecting from them. It’s been unfortunate that the Jays have lost Bo Bichette, Trevor Richards, and Jordan Romano to injuries.
But luckily, this hasn’t majorly affected them as a team and they’ve been able to work around their absences. Everyone was expecting the worst in the first game against the Red Sox, but it was a pleasant surprise to see the bats wake up. So, without delay, let’s continue and explore three of these positive signs that the Jays showcased.
Blue Jays Showcase Four Positive Signs
Five Homeruns
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Everyone knows that the Blue Jays have a lot of players that bring a lot of power to their bat. But in the series against the Baltimore Orioles, the Jays offense was nowhere to be seen. Evidently, the Jays offense surged in the first inning of the game against the Red Sox. Whit Merrifield and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both hit home runs in the top of the first inning.
Then Davis Schneider, who made his major league debut, stunned everyone and hit his first major league home run in the top of the second inning. But the home runs didn’t stop there. In the top of the sixth inning, Daulton Varsho hit a banger and recorded his 13th homer of the season. And then when we thought the home runs were done, Matt Chapman hit his 15th homer of the season in the top of the ninth inning.
Solid Outting from Manoah
The last time Alek Manoah was out on the mound, it wasn’t a pleasant sight. We are all aware that Manoah is known for hitting batters but when he hit Taylor Ward in the face, it wasn’t a sight for sore eyes. So when Manoah was set to pitch against the Red Sox, it was definitely hard to watch.
While the Jays offense was hot, they needed him to put out a solid outing and that is exactly what he did. Manoah pitched 6.2 innings and gave up six hits, five strikeouts, three earned runs, and two walks. It was great that Manoah was almost able to pitch seven innings and give the bullpen a bit of a break. It was also good to see him give up fewer walks and he was commanding more of the strike zone. This was a huge win for him and he picked up his third win of the season.
George Springer
George Springer hit his 15th double of the season and is showing us that his slump is starting to fade away. The Blue Jays and fans have really missed his offense and it was gratifying to see him contribute to the Jays hot bats that were present in the game. He picked up his 43rd RBI on the season and did it with a big smile on his face. Let’s hope that he can continue to be productive for the Jays.
Jays Surge and Splurge to Victory
The positive signs of the Jays hot offense were present with five home runs, Alek Manoah showing better signs of good pitching, and George Springer continuing to hit out of his slump. It was a game that many thought was going to make a turn for the worst but instead made a turn for the best. Let’s not also forget as well that the little man with the big mustache came big for the Jays in his first major league at-bat with the Jays. Let’s hope that the Jays can continue where they left off in game one and bring that into game two of the series against Boston.
