Series Recap: Blue Jays salvage series against Red Sox, enter final series in control of their destiny

The Toronto Blue Jays are just barely holding onto the division lead because of the tiebreaker.

A big reason the New York Yankees are back in the division lead race is that the Blue Jays dropped two of three against the Boston Red Sox. Let’s take a look at what went on in the three games.

In Tuesday’s game, the Jays gave up the first run in the top of the second. It looked as if the Jays were going to score two runs, but the umpire deemed that George Springer’s batted ball with the bases loaded was a foul. On the next pitch, he struck out looking on a ball. The Jays eventually tied it in the bottom of the fourth, but the Red Sox had a three-run inning in the top of the sixth for the victory.

Wednesday’s game was somehow worse, as Max Scherzer gave up three runs in the first inning. Thankfully, he got out of the game and ended up pitching five innings, giving up an additional run in what could be the final inning of his career. He at least saved the bullpen. In the eighth, the Red Sox added three more runs, before Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a lead-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.

In a bullpen game on Thursday, the Jays finally had a big inning that they were waiting for in the bottom of the sixth, as Daulton Varsho hit a grand slam off a left-handed pitcher. Later that inning, George Springer hit a two-run home run, as the Jays won 6-1 to maintain their division lead. Despite being a bullpen game, the Jays had a perfect game going into the seventh inning.

Like the series against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals, it wasn’t a good week for the Blue Jays’ bats. Of their regulars, only Daulton Varsho had a wRC+ above 100, finishing with a 123 wRC+. Nathan Lukes had a team-leading 248 wRC+ in eight plate appearances. Kiner-Falefa and Myles Straw had a 236 wRC+ and a 156 wRC+ in four plate appearances, respectively.

Andrés Giménez had a 76 wRC+, Anthony Santander had a 69 wRC+ in his return, and George Springer had a rough series, finishing with a 63 wRC+. It only gets worse from here, as Addison Barger finished with a 44 wRC+, Davis Schneider finished with a -14 wRC+, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished with a -16 wRC+, Ernie Clement finished with a -43 wRC+, and Alejandro Kirk finished with a -55 wRC+. Joey Loeperfido (-100 wRC+) and Tyler Heineman (10 wRC+) are the two other players who received a plate appearance in this series.

It wasn’t a great series for the Blue Jays’ starters. Kevin Gausman went five and two-thirds innings with four earned runs allowed, albeit he pitched better than the scoreline suggests. Max Scherzer pitched five innings, also giving up four earned runs, but he pitched poorly. Louis Varland started Thursday’s bullpen game, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

Only two of the Blue Jays’ 10 relievers gave up a run. Braydon Fisher gave up an earned run in Thursday’s game, while José Berríos gave up three earned runs in two innings of work on Wednesday, before ultimately ending up on the Injured List for the first time in his career.

Jeff Hoffman was lucky not to give up an earned run, as he brought the game-tying run to the on-deck circle on Thursday, but got out of it unscathed. Tommy Nance, Seranthony Domínguez, Eric Lauer, Brendon Little, Varland, Mason Fluharty, and Yariel Rodríguez all pitched scoreless outings.

The final series of the season is among us, as the Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays for the final three games of the season. They remain in control of their own destiny, needing a three-game sweep to clinch the best record in the American League, barring a Yankees or Seattle Mariners loss.