Blue Jays Week in Review: First Place Hangover

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/28 through Sun, 8/3
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Record Last Week: 2-5 (Overall: 65-48)
Run Differential Last Week: -26 (Overall: +16)
Standings: First in AL East (3.0 games up on BOS), First in AL (tied with DET)

Last Week’s Results
Game 107: TOR 4 - BAL 11
Bassitt: 2.1 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Guerrero Jr.: 2-4, HR (15), BB, 2 RBI
Bichette: 4-4
Lukes: 1-5, HR (8), RBI

Game 108: TOR 4 - BAL 16
Lucas: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Loperfido: 3-4, HR (3), RBI
Schneider: 2-4, RBI
Barger: 1-4, HR (15), 2 RBI

Game 109: TOR 2 - BAL 3
Lauer: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Heineman: 3-3, BB 
Clement: 2-4, 2 R, HBP
Barger: 2-4, 2B

Game 110: TOR 9 - BAL 8
Berrios: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Lukes: 1-2, HR (9), 3 RBI
Straw: 3-4, R, 3 RBI
Loperfido: 3-5, R 

Game 111: KC 9 - TOR 3
Gausman: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Guerrero Jr.: 1-4, HR (16)
Barger: 1-4, HR (16), 2 RBI
Bichette: 2-4, 2B

Game 112: KC 2 - TOR 4
Scherzer: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Bichette: 3-4, RBI
Straw: 1-4, R

Game 113: KC 7 - TOR 4 (10)
Bassitt: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Loperfido: 2-5, RBI, 3 K
Clement: 2-3, R, BB
Bichette: 1-3, R, 2 BB

Highlights
Joey Loperfido: Let's start things off on a positive note. The Blue Jays didn’t have the best week on the field, but Joey Loperfido certainly did his part. He appeared in all seven games the Blue Jays played, including getting a start against a left-handed pitcher. Loperfido was second on the team in hits this week and hit his third home run of the season, a 367-foot blast against the Orioles on Tuesday. The Blue Jays are starting to get some position players healthy, but Loperfido is making his case for staying in the lineup on a more regular basis.

Bo Bichette: The reason why Loperfido didn’t lead the team in hits this week is that Bo Bichette has gotten back to his regular ways. Bo added 12 more hits this week, which trailed only William Contreras of the Brewers for the most in baseball. He now leads all of MLB in hits, which is something he’s done twice in his career, and if he keeps up this pace, he’ll likely do it for a third time. Only one extra-base hit, and his hitting into four double plays, make his week feel not as productive as it could have been, but Bichette had a good week and should be recognized for it.

Max Scherzer: The Blue Jays' starting rotation was stuck in a rut this week, and they were in need of a shutdown performance. Max Scherzer did just that. He got through his six innings, with the only blemish being a solo home run by Salvador Perez. When all was said and done, the Blue Jays and Scherzer were able to get a win to stop the bleeding. This is now back-to-back great starts from Scherzer, who threw seven innings, striking out 11 against the Tigers last week. Mad Max seems to be turning back the clock at the exact time the Blue Jays need him.

Lowlights
The Rest of the Rotation: The main culprit for the Blue Jays' losses in five of the seven games they played this week was the starting rotation. Kevin Gausman allowed five earned runs in his start. José Berríos struggled to find his groove in his outing, while Easton Lucas got a start in the Blue Jays' doubleheader this week, allowing four runs and failing to escape the third inning. Chris Bassitt had one excellent start (1 ER in 7.0 IP) and one bad start (6 ER in 2.1 IP). All in all, Blue Jays starters had a 5.85 ERA this week, which ranked 25th in baseball. For a team that is currently tied for first place in the AL and is looking to get a bye right into the ALDS, the starting rotation needs to be better going forward.

Nathan Lukes: At first glance, Lukes may seem like an odd choice because he did hit two home runs this week, tied with Guerrero and Barger for most on the team, but the issue is that he didn't do much else at the plate. Three hits in 27 plate appearances is pretty rough. Lukes had been hitting leadoff against right-handed pitchers for most of the past few months, but with Loperfido playing well and Daulton Varsho back from the IL, it seems like Lukes may be seeing a reduction in playing time until the bat can wake back up again.

Random Stats of the Week:

• The Blue Jays made four separate trades at the deadline, adding Seranthony Domínguez, Louis Varland, Shane Bieber, Ty France, and catching prospect Brandon Valenzuela.
• The Blue Jays traded away five players at the deadline: pitchers Khal Stephen, Kendry Rojas, and Juaron Watts-Brown, outfielder Alan Roden and infielder Will Wagner.
• Davis Schneider stole his first base of the season this week.
• Ali Sánchez almost had his first big league home run, but was robbed by then-Orioles (now Mets) center fielder Cedric Mullins.
• Lazaro Estrada, recalled as the 27th man for the doubleheader in Baltimore, ended up giving up eight hits and six earned runs in 3.1 IP.
• The Blue Jays have now lost back-to-back series for the first time since May 13-18, when the Rays and the Tigers both took two out of three games against the Jays at home.

News, Notes and Not Playing

• OF Daulton Varsho has returned from the IL. He is 0-for-6 with a walk and four strikeouts since returning.
• C Alejandro Kirk has returned from the seven-day concussion IL. He went 0-for-4 with a walk in his first game back.
• IF Leo Jimenez has been sent to Triple A.
• RHP Paxton Schultz has been sent to Triple A.
• LHP Justin Bruihl has been sent to Double A.
• RHP Chad Green has been designated for assignment.
• RHP Bowden Francis has been transferred to the 60-day IL.

7-Day IL: George Springer

• Springer has been placed on the seven-day concussion IL retroactive to July 29.

10-Day IL: Andrés Giménez,

• Andrés Giménez ran the bases on the weekend and should go on a rehab assignment soon (Arden Zwelling on X).

15-day IL: Yimi García

• Yimi García is still about a week or so from beginning a throwing program (Ben Nicholson-Smith on X).

60-day IL: Shane Bieber, Anthony Santander, Alek Manoah, Bowden Francis

• RHP Shane Bieber made his first rehab start with the Jays organization on Sunday, throwing 5.0 innings, striking out six, and allowing two earned runs. He will most likely make one more rehab appearance before joining the Blue Jays.
• GM Ross Atkins said OF/DH Anthony Santander's progress is “slower than normal,” but there is still progress (Ben Nicholson-Smith on X).
• RHP Alek Manoah threw a simulated game on Saturday and is expected to make another rehab start later this week (Arden Zwelling on X).

Trending Storylines
The Toronto Blue Jays head into the month of August still in first place in the AL East, but they can't get too complacent as the Red Sox and Yankees are still very much within striking distance. The Blue Jays ultimately had a bit of a letdown of a week, losing five of the seven games they played against two teams that were both below .500 when the series began.

The main culprit was the pitching, and the front office used the trade deadline to add some reinforcements for the stretch run. Seranthony Domínguez and Louis Varland both made their Blue Jays debuts this week. Domínguez looked great in his first two appearances before giving up three earned runs in the finale on Sunday. Varland threw a clean first inning on Friday before allowing two hits and the game-tying run to score on Sunday. The Jays will rely on both players as back-end weapons out of the bullpen going forward.

The Blue Jays are also slowly regaining health. Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho returned to the team this week, with George Springer set to return soon. Shane Bieber, Alek Manoah, and Andrés Giménez are all on, or soon to be on, rehab assignments, and all three will factor into the puzzle as well. The interesting question will be what the Blue Jays do when Bieber is ready. Bassitt, Gausman, and Berríos have been solid all season, Scherzer is coming off his two best starts yet, and Eric Lauer has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start all season. There is a chance the Blue Jays might look at going with a six-man rotation for the time being.

Ty France was also acquired at the deadline, and GM Ross Atkins said he would get a lot of playing time against left-handed pitching early on. So far as a Blue Jay, he is 1-for-8 with a single.

Looking Ahead
The Blue Jays get what looks like a soft spot on the schedule as they make the rare trip to Colorado. The Rockies have a 30-80 record on the young season, and the Blue Jays could really use this series to bounce back and get on the winning side. Playing baseball in Denver is always an adventure, and the Blue Jays' starting pitchers, who have been struggling lately, will try to right the ship while playing at altitude. Lauer, Berríos, and Gausman will get their chance to do just that.

Following their trip to Colorado, the Blue Jays will stay out west and go visit old friend Teoscar Hernández and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are sitting in first place in the NL West and will provide the Blue Jays with a tough task, especially with Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to take the bump. If probable pitchers stay the way they are, then Friday night will be a battle of two future Hall of Famers, as Kershaw is set to pitch against Scherzer, which would be a lot of fun. A tough series against the Dodgers makes the previous series against the Rockies much more important, as the Blue Jays will hope to secure some early wins on this West Coast road trip.