Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has multi-hit game in series opener vs Twins

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Hitting has been a constant source of concern for the Blue Jays this season, with voices from all corners of the baseball world demanding change.

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But in the absence of some franchise-altering trade, manager John Schneider is left to shuffle his lineup in the hope that some mix is able to kick-start the team’s ineffective offence.

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In Friday’s series opener against the red-hot Minnesota Twins at the Rogers Centre, the manager had Davis Schneider at leadoff in place of George Springer, who has been struggling and was nursing an illness.

Some interpreted the move as some kind of long-term play, but the manager cautioned not to read too much into the change, saying it’s more of a day-to-day process.

The end result, however, was all too familiar as the Jays lost 3-2, squandering a chance to tie the game, or even take the lead when they had runners on second and third with none out in the fifth, but could not cash in either runner.

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Davis Schneider struck out swinging against starter Joe Ryan, before Daulton Varsho and Vlad Guerrero Jr., both lined out.

It was Cricket Night at the ball park. Perhaps Toronto’s hitters should have resorted to using a cricket bat.After all, the team has tried just about everything else with no tangible benefit.

An optimist could point to Vladdy hitting a couple of sharply hit balls that went for singles, but there was no one on base. Bo Bichette, batting sixth, also had a couple of hits.

Toronto scored its first run when Isiah Kiner-Falefa went deep to lead off the third inning, his second home run of the season.

Kiner-Falefa then singled in the ninth, — his third hit of the night — scoring Bichette from third. But with the tying run on third, Ernie Clement lined a shot off Twins reliever Griffin Jax. The ball, however, caromed directly to first baseman Carlos Santana who scooped it up and beat Clement to the bag to end the threat.

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Yusei Kikuchi, once he settled in following an eventful first inning in which he gave up a run on three consecutive one-out singles, stuck around to give the Blue Jays exactly what was required. The lefty became the first Jays starter to go eight innings this season.

Before surrendering a leadoff homer to Carlos Santana in the fifth inning, Kikuchi had retired 10 hitters in succession.
He gave up only the four hits and didn’t walk a batter, striking out three, as he dropped to 2-3 despite a stellar 2.63 ERA.

Starting pitching, in other words, wasn’t the issue. And neither was Toronto’s defence.

YUSEI WHAT?

Kikuchi made his eighth start of the season and his career sixth start against the Twins.

When one thinks of Kikuchi and the Twins, one is apt to turn back the clock and revisit the Jays’ ill-fated visit to Target Field during last year’s wild card. Minnesota swept the Jays, taking the first game 3-1 before wrapping it up following a controversial 2-0 win. What resonated was the decision to pull starter Jose Berrios, who struck out five over three innings.
After issuing a walk to Royce Lewis, Berrios was given the hook and replaced by Kikuchi.

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Plating one run in two games with so much at stake is never ideal, an issue that plagued the Blue Jays and has continued to follow the team in terms of run production.

The Twins came to town for a three-game weekend series having won five consecutive series, despite losing Lewis (quad) and Byron Buxton (knee) to injuries.

In Minnesota’s first at-bats, Ryan Jeffers led off the game by sending a rocket into left field. Kikuchi then yielded three straight hits but would get bailed out when some adventurous baserunning backfired on the Twins. With runners at the corners, Minny attempted a double steal, forcing catcher Danny Jansen to make a throw to second base.

Once the ball left Jansen’s glove, Willi Castro left the bag at third and sprinted home. Kiner-Falefa came in to catch Jansen’s throw then quickly it back to the plate punch out Castro.

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Minny would score one run in the first, but the damage could have been much worse.

SANCHEZ STRUGGLES

In his first start for the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Aaron Sanchez pulled an Alek Manoah, which isn’t good right now. He gave up six runs on five hits in four innings against the visiting Worcester Red Sox, while walking three and was unable to record a strikeout.

The organization took a flyer on Sanchez, whom the Blue Jays signed to a minor-league deal earlier this week to address a need for pitching depth.

Following a scoreless first inning, Sanchez, 31, gave up five runs in the second. His fastball averaged 90.2 mph and topped out at 92.4.

During his six-year run with the Blue Jays, which began in 2014, Sanchez posted a 32-33 record.

BERRIOS TRADE UPDATE

Fans at the Rogers Centre got to see Austin Martin in action for the first time. When the Jays acquired Berrios three years ago, they dealt Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, who is scheduled to get Saturday’s start.

Martin was drafted fifth overall by the Blue Jays in 2020. Woods Richardson was part of the 2019 deal that sent Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets.

Martin, starting in left field, went 0-for-3 out of the No. 9 hole and is batting .222 in 72 at-bats with one home run.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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