Latest news with #TorontoBlueJays'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
When Addison Barger hits a changeup, Blue Jays star homers 13% of the time
Who knew that Addison Barger was the changeup crusher? The Toronto Blue Jays' breakout lefty hitter has mashed against all sorts of offerings this season, but he's had an absurd campaign against changeups. The latest moment came Tuesday afternoon when Barger got a changeup from Charlie Morton and blasted a two-run home run. After Barger rounded the bases, Sportsnet play-by-play man Dan Shulman shared a stat that was hard to believe. Barger has had 54 at bats this season end with a changeup. Seven of those have resulted in homers, a 13% rate. It seemed too good to be true, but Barger's Baseball Savant page confirms the data as Shulman presented it. MORE: Corbin Carroll is unmatched in MLB history Barger has five singles and two doubles this season off changeups (technically splitters and forkballs would fall into this classification, too), but the seven homers show that's not necessarily a pitch you want to throw to the Blue Jays slugger. Hitting changeups is a skill requiring a bat that stays through the zone a long time, and a lower half that hangs back just long enough to adjust to the offspeed pitch. Barger clearly has that skill down, and he showed it again on Tuesday afternoon. MORE MLB NEWS: Dodgers sign Missouri football's QB to contract Blue Jays make Toronto history not achieved since 1992 World Series team Emmanuel Clase goes from trade target to concerning Guardians story Orioles' catcher used a Happy Gilmore swing to hit a home run There's a sad truth to Aaron Judge's injury for Yankees Edwin Diaz is MLB's best pitcher since learning his legs were different lengths
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
The mystery behind Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer's fat lip. Was it actually a teammate?
DETROIT— Eric Lauer pitched one of the best games of his career Thursday night. And he did it with a fat lip. Lauer has been around, and doesn't light up the radar gun, but the Jays rotation would be lost without him. Lauer has been around, and doesn't light up the radar gun, but the Jays rotation would be lost without him. The 30-year-old left-hander, the junior member of the Toronto Blue Jays' veteran pitching rotation, threw eight innings of walk-free five-hitter, allowing only one run, in a series-opening 11-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park that propelled the Jays into sole possession of first place overall in the American League. But after the game, the first question was about the fat lip. 'I knew that was coming,' smiled Lauer. 'So, there's kind of this, like, known thing not to mess with (Max) Scherzer on his start days, especially when he has his headphones in, and I broke that rule. I tried to talk to him a little too early. He wasn't very happy about that, so six stitches is what you get for that.' There is little to no chance that, despite his well-known intensity, Scherzer actually slugged Lauer for talking to him too early on a start day, but for now, this is what the southpaw would have us believe. As he walked away from the scrum after talking about his and his team's great performance, I asked Lauer if we were really supposed to believe that Scherzer actually punched him in the face. He flashed a wry smile and shrugged his shoulders. Eric Lauer explains his fat lip postgame. Yeesh. We have learned two things from Lauer's explanation of his fat lip: Being in first place seems to be a lot of fun and lefties continue to be weird.
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
The mystery behind Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer's fat lip. Was it actually a teammate?
DETROIT— Eric Lauer pitched one of the best games of his career Thursday night. And he did it with a fat lip. The 30-year-old left-hander, the junior member of the Toronto Blue Jays' veteran pitching rotation, threw eight innings of walk-free five-hitter, allowing only one run, in a series-opening 11-4 win over the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park that propelled the Jays into sole possession of first place overall in the American League. But after the game, the first question was about the fat lip.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Unlocking Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s power could push Blue Jays from great to terrifying
TORONTO — As the thumping beat of a post-win playlist filled the Toronto Blue Jays' clubhouse, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s locker sat empty. Most players stood by their stalls, packing up to quickly leave the ballpark. A few others lingered on the outfield turf, greeting family and friends after a win over the San Francisco Giants. Guerrero was not among them. Advertisement Instead, Toronto's $500 million franchise player stood in the batting cage tucked within the bowels of Rogers Centre. One of the franchise's top sluggers, Edwin Encarnación, looked on, perched on a high-top chair as Guerrero gripped a bat with both hands and stepped up to a tee. In many ways, Guerrero's 2025 campaign has been undeniably good. By the metric wRC+, he's hitting 35 percent better than the league average. He's chasing less than ever before and on pace for a 13.6 percent walk rate, which would be a career high. He's the most valuable player, by Baseball Reference WAR, on the top team in the American League East. For most players, it would be the best season of their career. But Guerrero's established ceiling is higher — the kind that earned him the third-largest contract in MLB history. His ceiling is greatness. It's a hunt for that peak that sent Guerrero to the cage even after a Blue Jays win. He was held to a lone single in the preceding contest and grounded into an early double play that snuffed out a scoring chance. It was his 14th straight game without a home run. So there Guerrero stood, 30 minutes after the final pitch, searching for his signature swing. 'Sometimes,' Guerrero said, 'when you don't feel right at the plate, instead of going home and watching videos, I can just go in there and try to enjoy myself, try to put my mind to the next day. For me, that helps me a lot to calm down and believe in myself.' Guerrero says he feels good and his swing feels mostly right. 'When we're winning, everything is good for me,' he said. In seven games since the All-Star break, he's hit .444 and driven in six runs. But the difference between Guerrero's 2025 campaign and the previous heights remains clear. He's on pace for 21 home runs, nine fewer than last year. His .448 slugging percentage is nearly 100 points lower than in 2025. The contrast lies in the power. Advertisement Perhaps it's nitpicking the best player on one of baseball's best teams. The way the 2025 Jays are constructed, with role player heroism and many platoons, they haven't required a carrying force. But if there's a hitter who can put the entire roster in a backpack and run them up a hill, it's Guerrero — that's why the Blue Jays gave him a half-billion dollars to anchor the franchise until 2040. 'It's not a secret,' manager John Schneider said. 'We don't need Vlad to be Superman, but we need him to be him. You know what I mean? And by power standards, right, probably everyone's looking for a little bit more.' Guerrero's intermittent power, hitting coach David Popkins said, is rooted in a season-long search for his 'A-Swing' — the smooth, natural slash that punishes mistake pitches. His batting average on offerings right down the middle (.373) is the lowest since his rookie season. Last year, it was .517. He still makes consistent contact. He unleashes the league's highest exit velocities, and his expected wOBA is the ninth highest in baseball. But the powerful hits find dirt more often than the outfield bleachers. The search for that A-Swing spans across cage work, batting practice and games. Guerrero works closely with practically every coach on the Blue Jays staff, from the trio of hitting coaches to a special assistant in Encarnación and bench coach Don Mattingly. Each has their strengths — Encarnación helps with mindset, and the hitting coaches bring expertise on daily game plans, pre-pitch hand slots and swing timing. It's a lot of help to foster the best from the franchise player, but it's on Guerrero to distill that advice into one swing. 'You listen, but not everything they're gonna tell you is gonna be good for you,' Guerrero said. 'But you have to listen. And to me, you can add something from everyone. Like Edwin told me something, Donnie taught me something, like the hitting coaches. And then I can realize and say, 'OK, I might take this, I might take this, I might take this.' So to me, doesn't matter that a lot of people talk to me. Of course, I know how to hit, and I can pull all that together.' Advertisement There are moments when Guerrero looks tantalizingly close — a single swing that teases a gargantuan hot streak. Against the Giants, he lashed at a misplaced Robbie Ray slider. With a blistering bat crack, the crowd instantly roared. They immediately knew where the ball would land. The swing snapped Guerrero's 14-game homer drought, depositing a pitch in the left-centre bleachers. But even that trip around the bases doesn't tell Guerrero he's locked in — it's not quite the A-Swing indicator. Of Guerrero's 13 homers this season, 11 have been pulled. Last year, 18 of his 30 blasts went straightaway or to the opposite field. It's those line drives to right-centre, Guerrero said, that inform the first baseman his swing is locked in. This year, at least on homers, those drives have largely eluded him. 'Right now, he's close to where he wants to be,' Encarnación said. 'His timing, the rhythm. I don't worry much about the numbers he has right now. He's going to get there in September, the numbers are going to be there.' Amid the search for his ceiling, Guerrero adjusted. He's found ways to drive balls with his 'B-Swing,' Popkins said, like the yanked inside pitch in Wednesday's win over the Yankees, skittering a ball into the left-field corner to cash George Springer from first. There's a patience in Guerrero's approach, as well. Making some noise 🔥 — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 24, 2025 You can't show opposing pitchers you're going to take, the slugger said, but he's swinging less than ever before and on pace for a career high in walks. In past seasons, the weight of Toronto's run-scoring success fell squarely on Guerrero's shoulders — a power dip like this would've sunk the entire team. But this year, the Jays' lineup gives Guerrero reason for faith — justification to walk. There's a trust that appears when ball four whizzes by the zone and Guerrero spins his bat toward the dugout as Bo Bichette steps up behind him. Bichette is on pace for 93 RBIs, second most in his career. Addison Barger hits .365 with 20 RBIs in 17 games in the five-hole. 'For as pedestrian as his season may be,' Schneider said. 'I think that his walk rate being where it is shows that he is not trying to do too much.' Through it all, the A-Swing search continues. There's unwavering confidence in every word spoken about Guerrero's season. It's never 'if' the home runs will come, but 'when.' Encarnación says he's close. Popkins and Schneider say he's one swing away. The first baseman, himself, said the long balls will soon come in bunches. Advertisement If that undeniable power streak never arrives, Toronto's offence could be fine. They rank ninth in runs scored, entering Thursday, and are jockeying for the best record in baseball. But there's a ceiling to Guerrero's offence that hasn't flashed yet this season. If it does — if he finds that 'A-Swing' — the Jays could shift from serious contenders to something much scarier. So the search continues. 'He cares, man,' Encarnación said. 'He cares about hitting, and he wants to win. He wants to continue to help this team win games and make history. That's why you see him hitting, even after the game.'
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Bo Bichette's two-run homer caps Blue Jays' wild 8-4 win over rival Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays' Ernie Clement, right, hits an RBI single off New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (54) in fourth inning MLB baseball game action in Toronto on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
