Blue Jays' bottom of the order comes up big in comeback win over Giants
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The team's big boys tend to reside in the top of the order, but this season, if anything, has shown that even the alleged unknowns are more than capable of producing.
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Witness Saturday's 6-3 comeback win over the San Francisco Giants at a sold-out Rogers Centre crowd of 42,015.
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All six of Toronto's runs came from the bottom of the order as the triumvirate sparked the team to its longest home winning streak in 10 years.
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Tyler Heineman drove in the winning run with an RBI double in the sixth inning before he unloaded on a two-run homer in the eighth to give the Jays their ninth home win in succession.
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The trio of Ernie Clement, Will Wagner and Heineman went 5-for-10 at the plate.
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Logan Webb is a tough pitcher and yet it was Toronto's bottom of the order that did the damage.
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'They just stuck to their approach,' said manager John Schneider following the win as the Jays improved to 57-41.
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Clement has hit as high as leadoff. He has that rare bat control that allows him to lay down bunts, hit behind runners or be used in hit-and-run scenarios.
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Wagner came on the scene last season following the trade deadline deal with Houston that also netted Joey Loperfido.
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Heineman has come out the blue, but he is more than a serviceable backup catcher.
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Saturday's belt was Heineman's third of the season, while his first-career multiple extra-base hit game would also be produced in the win.
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As well as the bottom of the order performed, it was hard to overlook Addison Barger's career-high four-hit performance.
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'A guy with really, really great talent,'' added the skipper on Barger. 'He can hit the ball hard, he can hit the ball out of the ballpark, and you pair that with a very good approach.
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'He's got a bright future. He can be as good as anyone … It's tools, it's approach, it's confidence. He's in a good spot.'
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