Flying High: Toronto Blue Jays on upswing entering home series against Phillies
TORONTO — A visit by the woeful Athletics came at an ideal time for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Canada's lone big-league team was in a tailspin before finding its form last week. Toronto has won five in a row and sat a half-game out of an American League wild-card spot entering Monday's games.
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The Blue Jays, who were idle Monday, will continue their homestand Tuesday night against the 36-23 Philadelphia Phillies, a team they will play six times over the next fortnight.
OFFENCE CLICKING
After managing just six runs over a six-game road trip, the Blue Jays kicked off their current homestand by scoring a whopping 39 runs over a four-game sweep of the A's.
Addison Barger homered in three straight games over the weekend as Toronto went deep 11 times over the series.
The Blue Jays have been getting contributions up and down the lineup of late. Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Alejandro Kirk have anchored the top half of the batting order.
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Barger, Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw and Jonatan Clase -- all hitting at least .267 -- have helped turn the lineup over with timely hitting.
However, two of Toronto's big-ticket acquisitions have struggled this season. Andres Gimenez and Anthony Santander, both on the injured list, have sub-.200 averages with OPS marks under .600.
BULLISH BULLPEN
One of Toronto's most-improved areas is the bullpen, which is ranked ninth in the major leagues with a 3.47 earned-run average.
That's down significantly from the bullpen's 4.82 ERA in 2024, the second-worst mark among the 30 teams.
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With setup man Yimi Garcia on the injured list, Brendon Little (3-0, 1.37), Mason Fluharty (3-1, 3.33), Chad Green (1-1, 3.91) and Yariel Rodriguez (0-0, 2.73) have stepped up in his absence.
Closer Jeff Hoffman has earned 13 saves in 16 opportunities. His three blown saves have boosted his ERA to a rather bloated 5.81.
SO-SO STARTERS
Injuries and middling performances have led to a starting rotation that has been serviceable but capable of much more.
Veterans Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt have been steady with the three right-handers posting remarkably similar numbers (all between 3.80-3.90 ERA, 66-70 IP and 65-70 strikeouts).
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Bowden Francis (2-6, 5.04) has been unable to duplicate his strong second half from 2024, and Max Scherzer has pitched only three innings due to a thumb issue.
Scherzer's absence has forced manager John Schneider to turn to spot starters and openers, often for so-called bullpen games.
The good news for the Blue Jays is Scherzer is throwing live bullpen sessions now, and Alek Manoah (elbow surgery) could make his season debut this summer.
INJURED VARSHO
After missing the first few weeks of the season as he built up after shoulder surgery, Daulton Varsho delivered an immediate spark to the lineup when he returned.
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The Gold Glove centre-fielder provided stellar defence and hit eight homers with 20 RBIs over 24 games before landing back on the injured list.
Varsho strained his left hamstring over the weekend while trying to stretch a double into a triple. He's out on a week-to-week basis.
Utilityman Davis Schneider was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to fill in.
NUMBERS GAME
It's early days with almost two-thirds of the season still to go, but the 31-28 Blue Jays appear to be a coin flip to make the post-season.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA standings peg Toronto's playoff chances at 48.6 per cent, slightly ahead of FanGraphs' projections at 43.1 per cent.
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Cleveland started the day in the American League's first wild-card spot at 32-26. Toronto was one of five teams within 2 1/2 games of the Guardians.
The Blue Jays made the playoffs in three of four years before finishing last in the East Division standings in 2024. Toronto hasn't won a playoff game since 2016.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
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