TORONTO — Leo Jimenez instantly understood the task as he got here off the sector after the highest of the 11th inning Friday night time. He was due up second behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. within the backside half and the St. Louis Cardinals had been clearly going to deliberately stroll the four-time all-star, so the rookie shortstop ready himself to advance the runners.
Bunting has by no means actually been in Jimenez’s tool-kit — he has one sacrifice in 1,593 minor-league plate appearances — however since arriving within the massive leagues, “I’ve been making an attempt to make it a part of my recreation as a result of I do know it’s going to be crucial for me individually and in addition in making an attempt to assist my crew win,” he defined.
That’s exactly what he did, threading the needle on a bunt into the Cardinals’ wheel-play defence, beating out the throw for a single and setting the stage for Alejandro Kirk to ship the walk-off hit.
“I at all times attempt to make it possible for I’m doing that in early work, some bunt classes with (first-base coach) Mark Budzinski so I can put that into my recreation for subsequent 12 months,” Jimenez stated Saturday earlier than he was scratched because of a proper index finger contusion suffered whereas taking grounders forward of a 7-2 Toronto Blue Jays win over the Cardinals. “After I took the primary pitch (Friday), I noticed that they had been working the wheel play and the center’s going to be open so I used to be very assured about laying the bunt down.”
Now, that Jimenez was known as on to bunt within the 11th whereas Joey Loperfido wasn’t in almost the an identical scenario the earlier inning is, partly, demonstrative of how the Blue Jays should handle a much more numerous set of participant wants on their roster than in recent times.
Whereas Jimenez is engaged on his bunting, Loperfido, who left Saturday’s recreation within the fifth inning with left adductor muscle discomfort after stopping awkwardly on a third-inning double, has been engaged on some changes on the plate. In letting the outfielder swing away in Friday’s 10th, there was the strategic aspect of “you’ve gotten three possibilities to get a base hit with him, George (Springer) and Nate (Lukes),” stated supervisor John Schneider, “but in addition, it’s like, yeah, Joe, let’s go, have a great at-bat right here, on the very least attempt to get him over, however attempt to stroll them off. And also you wish to see these guys in these spots for certain.”
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Loperfido can also be practising laying down bunts with Jimenez and Will Wagner and Schneider urged that even Addison Barger may very well be known as upon to do it in sure conditions.
“Making an attempt to get them to grasp the place they’re going to suit throughout the lineup and what they’re going to want to do to assist a crew win, we’re making an attempt to give attention to that,” he stated.
On the similar time, there are wants for the remainder of the roster to think about, too.
Take Jose Berrios and the remainder of the rotation, who’ve been given an additional day of relaxation between outings this month between off-days and strategic spot begins. The ace right-hander allowed one run — a Jordan Walker solo shot within the third — over seven dominant innings in his newest gem and maybe it’s no coincidence {that a} robust stretch of pitching courting again to early August correlates to pitching on additional relaxation in six of his final eight outings.
Kevin Gausman, who topped out at 98.5 m.p.h. in a powerful outing Friday night time, pointed to the advantages of getting an additional couple of days earlier than taking the mound, because the Blue Jays are being deliberate and measured with their veteran gamers.
The identical applies to place gamers like Daulton Varsho, who jammed his proper shoulder diving for a Zach Neto single on Aug. 23 and has been coping with lingering swelling and soreness since. A collision at first base with Pete Alonso of the Mets earlier this week exacerbated issues so Schneider is giving him time to get via it.
“It’s been distinctive for certain,” Schneider stated of balancing the completely different calls for throughout the roster. “A 12 months in the past, it’s similar to, what are we doing to win? We’re nonetheless doing that. However completely different guys are going to have completely different questions. Younger guys are going to have completely different anxieties, completely different changes.”
In between the 2 extremes of veterans in search of to get via the season as wholesome as doable and rookies making an attempt to acclimate are gamers with some expertise both making an attempt to adapt or construct.
Take Davis Schneider, a sparkplug contributor a 12 months in the past who fell right into a deep rut in June solely to start rising from the funk earlier this week with a two-run triple versus the Mets on Tuesday. On Saturday, he loved his first multi-hit recreation since July 21, hitting a solo homer within the third, capping the decisive four-run sixth with an RBI single and including one other base hit within the eighth.
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Alejandro Kirk added a run-scoring groundout in that pivotal sixth and an RBI single in a two-run seventh, one by which Guerrero cashed in a Nathan Lukes triple and scored his second run of the sport after strolling within the sixth.
The balancing act is inherent to the reset the Blue Jays undertook on the commerce deadline.
“The veteran guys form of stated, ‘OK, this is a chance for us to indicate the best way just a little bit,’ not simply with their play or their effort, however with the conversations which might be being had,” stated Schneider. “They’ve been superior. It was a bizarre form of flip in a single day to the place we weren’t the place we needed to be and guys like Kevin, Chris (Bassitt), Jose, Varsh, Vlad, George (Springer), Chad (Inexperienced), it was like their time to only maintain regular just a little bit and so they’ve been excellent. I can’t actually communicate extremely sufficient of what they’ve carried out, how they’ve competed and the way they’ve taught the blokes alongside the best way.”
