What's Sparking the Blue Jays' Turnaround?

There must have been a spark after the trade deadline that has pushed the Jays to all of a sudden start playing like they did for large stretches last season. They are doing the little things that had been missing for much of the year. Some players left, and some new ones arrived, and somewhere in those transactions, the offense found its footing.

The Jays have started to leapfrog teams. Winning does that. They are now half a game ahead of the Orioles in the East and 2.5 games ahead of the Mariners as they chase the Wild Card.

The Jays have made the Red Sox look like the team they were prior to Boston’s crazy winning streak. Toronto has had multiple innings with runners on base. They are getting on, moving runners around and demonstrating some confidence at the plate. Sure, they have also squandered plenty of opportunities as well.

Just to be clear, this team is not going to run the table and miraculously end up winning the division. They might very well make the playoffs, but it still isn’t going to be easy.

The Jays still aren’t hitting home runs, so instead they need to cobble together runs. For a week and a bit, that is working, but can it be sustained?

Through 122 games, the team owns a very modest .243 batting average, .304 on-base percentage, .377 slugging percentage and .681 OPS. There’s a reason they are where they are, but a week and a half of tightly-fought games might be moving the needle.

What has been encouraging is that the recent run has not been driven by one statistical outlier or one player carrying the offense. The Jays have been winning with better at-bats, better situational hitting and a greater willingness to take what opposing pitchers are giving them.

For much of the season, that has not been the case, and frustratingly so.

The starting pitching, despite some hiccups with injuries, looks strong and resilient. That might help the bullpen catch its breath, but those bullpen arms have been overworked for much of the season.

That reality cannot be ignored. Toronto's starting rotation has spent most of the season carrying a heavy workload while frequently receiving very little offensive support. There have been countless nights where three or four runs felt like an impossible mountain to climb. Even so, the rotation has continued to keep the club competitive and has prevented the season from completely slipping away.

This next stretch of games with the Yankees and Rays will be the tipping point. Have they really turned the corner? Can the Jays' starters continue to work deep into games? Will the bats not drift back into hibernation?

The season has been a constant give-and-take between other teams adjusting and the Jays not keeping pace.

Every time the team appears poised to build momentum, another prolonged offensive drought follows. Series victories are slowly piling up now, and that is a change.

This week, Joey Votto mentioned on social that he may have identified the issue that has plagued Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all season. According to Votto, Guerrero's movement pattern may be delaying his barrel and preventing him from consistently reaching pitches he recognizes as hittable.

Vladdy seems to be a bit more relaxed since a handful of off days. He is still late on his swing more often than not, but his bat has some life.

The Jays and every other MLB team are now in the period of the season where everyone is grinding. Plenty of players are playing through injuries. Some more so than others, but no team is completely healthy at this point.

Toronto’s front office is working in the background to fill gaps. They have been more active than a lot of other clubs on waivers as they try to proactively address a depleted bullpen.

Former Diamondbacks reliever Paul Sewald is the latest addition. He joins Matt Waldron, who has been picking up some innings lately in non-leverage situations. They don’t have the flexibility of Chase Lee, Lazaro Estrada, and Chad Dallas, who have options and can be shuffled between Buffalo and Toronto to replenish the bullpen.

The Jays' recent ability to get length from their starters has quietly become one of the most important developments of the last couple of weeks.

Yet, more important than the pitching is the hitting right now. The Jays' starting pitching has kept them in games all season. The bullpen has done the same.

More extra base hits would certainly help the cause. Contributions from unexpected places like the bottom of the order (and new arrivals) have been the difference. That’s where success came from last season even when the big bats were firing. Now that they are still quiet-ish, those contributions are essential.

There were six teams between Toronto and the final Wild Card (currently held by the Rangers) prior to the Jays going 7-3 in their last 10. Now, only four teams and 1.5 games stand in the way of realistically talking about the playoffs.

The real question is what has been the spark that has made this team look so strong against the Phillies and the Red Sox. Is it the young energy from Brett Bateman or Andrés Giménez putting the ball in play? Or is it stronger at-bats and fielding from Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes and Jesús Sánchez? Even Josh Smith, despite a slow start, has contributed when called upon of late.

The departure of Daulton Varsho has meant that Straw, Lukes and Sánchez have gotten more playing time. They have made the most of it. Maybe they are the spark.

At the very least, they have brought energy. There has been a noticeable difference in how the lineup functions when players are consistently putting the ball in play and forcing defenses to make plays.

Whatever it is, the Jays need to ride it to the finish line. They aren’t going to win them all, but they need to keep playing like they do.

Every series matters now. Every game against a divisional opponent means more.

Maybe Blue Jays baseball will start being as fun to watch as it was during the stretch run and into the playoffs last season. Or maybe it won’t. Here’s hoping we’re still talking about this season, instead of next year, in a couple of weeks.

The next two weeks will tell us whether this is a genuine turnaround or just another brief surge in a season full of ups and downs.