It's Brett Bateman time. Nice reward for a highlight reel catch last night.

Urias to the IL. Martin Jr DFA.

only 11 healthy position players on the Bisons atm.

Plausible best lineup using.....


This Year's Stats Only:

1. DH Springer 373pa, .316obp, 102wrc+, 0.9war650
2. 3B Okamoto 462pa, .303obp, 107wrc+, 2.5war650
3. LF Sanchez 248pa, .310obp, 106wrc+, 0.3war650
4. 2B Clement 457pa, .311obp, 102wrc+, 2.1war650
5. C Alejandro 158pa, .329obp, 96wrc+, 4.9war650
6. 1B Guerrero 456pa, .338obp, 95wrc+, 1.0war650
7. RF Lukes 287pa, .317obp, 93wrc+, 1.8war650
8. SS Gimenez 369pa, .281obp, 76wrc+, 3.2war650
9. CF Straw 212pa, .278obp, 72wrc+, 1.2war650

B. UT Smith 160pa, .288obp, 59wrc+, -1.6war650
B. OF Schneider 136pa, .289obp, 68wrc+, -1.4war650
B. IF Urias 59pa, .322obp, 122wrc+, 3.3war650
B. C Valenzuela 210pa, .311obp, 100wrc+, 5.6war650

X. UT Pinango 180pa, .306obp, 97wrc+, -0.4war650
X. OF Clase 25pa, .360obp, 154wrc+, 7.8war650
X. IF Sosa 117pa, .207obp, 31wrc+, -3.9war650
X. C

X. UT Keys 37pa, .189obp, 25wrc+, -5.3war650
X. OF Barger 28pa, .214obp, 0wrc+, 0.0war650
X. IF McAdoo 25pa, .160obp, 14wrc+, -5.2war650
X. C




Past 1 Calendar Year Stats:


1. DH Springer 551pa, .355obp, 136wrc+, 3.4war650
2. 3B Okamoto 462pa, .303obp, 107wrc+, 2.5war650
3. C Alejandro 303pa, .320obp, 103wrc+, 5.4war650
4. 1B Guerrero 635pa, .339obp, 102wrc+, 1.4war650
5. 2B Clement 619pa, .306obp, 101wrc+, 2.5war650
6. LF Sanchez 387pa, .292obp, 91wrc+, -0.2war650
7. RF Lukes 435pa, .299obp, 87wrc+, 1.3war650
8. CF Straw 285pa, .296obp, 86wrc+, 2.5war650
9. SS Gimenez 500pa, .275obp, 71wrc+, 2.5war650

B. UT Smith 312pa, .296obp, 62wrc+, -1.0war650
B. OF Schneider 235pa, .318obp, 95wrc+, 0.8war650
B. IF Urias 94pa, .298obp, 87wrc+, 0.7war650
B. C Valenzuela 210pa, .311obp, 100wrc+, 5.6war650

X. UT Pinango 180pa, .306obp, 97wrc+, -0.4war650
X. OF Barger 182pa, .264obp, 60wrc+, 0.0war650
X. IF Sosa 303pa, .242obp, 65wrc+, -1.3war650
X. C MacIver 59pa, .220obp, 21wrc+, -3.3war650

X. UT Keys 37pa, .189obp, 25wrc+, -5.3war650
X. OF Clase 25pa, .360obp, 154wrc+, 7.8war650
X. IF McAdoo 25pa, .160obp, 14wrc+, -5.2war650
X. C

X. UT Santander 12pa, .250obp, 17wrc+, -5.4war650




Fangraphs Combined Depth Charts Projections:

1. DH Springer 171pa, .335obp, 116wrc+, 2.3war650
2. 1B Guerrero 193pa, .370obp, 135wrc+, 3.7war650
3. C Alejandro 208pa, .347obp, 114wrc+, 3.1war650
4. LF Sanchez 127pa, .315obp, 107wrc+, 2.0war650
5. 3B Okamoto 175pa, .315obp, 111wrc+, 3.0war650
6. RF Lukes 141pa, .329obp, 103wrc+, 2.8war650
7. 2B Clement 175pa, .305obp, 98wrc+, 2.6war650
8. SS Gimenez 165pa, .305obp, 91wrc+, 3.2war650
9. CF Straw 129pa, .295obp, 75wrc+, 1.0war650

B. UT Smith 66pa, .328obp, 99wrc+, 2.0war650
B. OF Schneider 38pa, .326obp, 103wrc+, 1.7war650
B. IF Urias 44pa, .322obp, 101wrc+, 1.5war650
B. C Valenzuela 92pa, .286obp, 82wrc+, 2.1war650

X. UT Pinango 58pa, .297obp, 89wrc+, 0.0war650
X. OF Clase 52pa, .294obp, 86wrc+, 1.3war650
X. IF McAdoo 2pa, .288obp, 87wrc+, 0.0war650
X. C MacIver 2pa, .277obp, 74wrc+, 0.0war650

X. OF Schreck 4pa, .320obp, 101wrc+, 0.0war650
X. OF Bateman 16pa, .326obp, 87wrc+, 0.0war650
X. UT Keys 8pa, .288obp, 83wrc+, 0.0war650
X. IF Sosa 8pa, .274obp, 83wrc+, 0.0war650

X. OF Barger 0pa, 105wrc+

Vlad's hammy is getting better. He is a possibility to pinch hit today and could be in the lineup tomorrow.

Well since today's game is currently delayed and may not happen since forecast looks thundershowers for a while, perhaps that gives everyone a chance to get healthier one more day.

They're honoring Chase Utley today, so it's likely to start late rather than being rescheduled.
7:40 maybe?

8:35

Yeah, and that might be the ceremony, not the game...

Loved everything about that inning from Soriano:). Elite stuff.

Great first inning by Soriano.

On the other hand, there’s almost nothing about the Smith acquisition that I get.

"On the other hand, there’s almost nothing about the Smith acquisition that I get."

I don't think Smith was the piece they wanted. I think they liked Stephen more than Macko (backend starter vs lefty reliever) but Smith was also of some interest or maybe a money thing? Just my feeling.

Sanchez is such a dreadful fielder.

He's a bounce back candidate for next year.
Think Ty France.

I get the gamble on Smith - he won a silver slugger just 2yrs ago after all. Not that i love his chances of rebounding.

But i did just notice that Stephan was pitching in the PCL, so his line this year was actually decent.

Sanchez is all twitch muscle.

A Butler type LHH CF has been on my wish list for so long. It would solve a host of problems for this roster. Not to worry I’m not getting ahead of myself Mr Bateman;)

As for Smith, if he weren’t 29 and struggling I’d feel better about the bet.

Smith was injured and missed spring training.
His chances of rebounding should be pretty good.
Not that he'll be blocking anyone at AAA either.

no-power bateman bashes it off the oppo wall with ease. not bad kid.

Injured players can have a down season at any age and we're just hoping for a return to his 2 previous years, not a break out.

You can see how fast Bateman is.

Kirk has made some bad ABS challenges. That one in the third inning was terrible.

The Blue Jays are setting themselves up for 2027. This is good. But it is a shame to waste the high-quality work the team has received from Cease, Varland, Yesavage, Rogers, and now Soriano. Pitchers only have so many bullets, and there is no guarantee those players will be healthy next year. For example, Cease is known as a workhorse who consistently posts. But as we’ve seen with Berrios (who is a couple of years older than Cease), that is true until it isn’t.

Bateman is doing an amazing Brett Butler impersonation.

Smith runs pretty well too.

I have to say having some speed on the team is nice.

As mentioned I think Smith is a 2027 pickup. This season is a wash for him, but it’s possible he can bounce back to around a league average bat next season, and that’s valuable from someone with his versatility. Fun to see Bateman doing well tonight.

Smith can walk 50 times in a season and hit 10 homers.
That's basically all he needs to do to be an average bat.
Defense and baserunning are above average.

IBB Harper

I go back and forth on whether Okamoto is good enough to be an everyday player on a good team. Today I think no but there have been times when I think yes. Next year will tell.

Soriano was just ok, but man so much of the perspective on how he pitched tonight will ride on what Fluharty does here.

fluuuuuu

I think what you see is what we'll get from Okamoto - averagish defense at 3B with slightly above average power-based bat.

I've seen enough. Bateman to leadoff tomorrow!

I know that there have been better major league debuts in the absolute sense - Arencibia comes to mind (not sure why). Relative to what the team needs, it’s hard to think of a better recent debut than Bateman.

Maybe the Jays get lucky and Bateman is a Brett Gardner type (minus the juiced ball home run totals that came later in his career). Hey, he's 1-1 with a double and 2 walks in his big league debut off Zack Wheeler. Let me dream a little bit!

What an AB by Lukes.

What an incredible AB from Lukes. Kirky really needs to drive in a run here.

What an AB by Lukes. 15 pitches, culminating in a gutsy line drive single to right off a tiring Wheeler. Well done.

uo - you might be right about Okamoto. I fear he’s a league average bat and a below average defender with negative bae running. That’s not an everyday player but we will see.

Will we see

a) good Little, shuts down top of the Phillies order

b) bad Little, walks the house and gives up a key hit

Okamoto seems like a reasonable everyday player at 3B, but not an everyday quality player at 1B. So sure if he's your backup 1B that's fine, but I don't think you want to put him in at 1B regularly as his bat isn't good enough for that.

Also, I still feel dread when I hear Little is coming in, doubly when he facing a HR hitter who is going to be the tying run.

Can we end the Little Experiment? Please. Nothing he throws is a strike.

Classic Little. Houdiniesue. Love the excitement!

I guess the answer is:

A little from column A, a little from column B (sorry about the puns).

You can see why Little continues to get chances, despite the bouts of wildness. His stuff is good. If he could dial it in a bit more, he could be very good.

best deadline ever?

Yeah, I still think we are weaker (for this year) after the moves that were made, but it is close enough that it is debatable. And I think we are stronger next year.

The dominant Little/Waldron leverage relievers!:)

please not again.

what are you doing there kirk.

phew.

Love the excitement?

lmao what the hell are you doing kaisuke.

phew.

the excitement gonna kill me.

What a crazy win.

That inning was almost Blue Jays game 7 WS-esque…for the Phillies. Just could not scrape the key run across the plate despite being gifted lots of chances.

tidy 35 pitch 9th for the no fuss save from Rogers.

Well that was an interesting 9th inning. 3 run 1 inning saves shouldn't be that hard.

Good thing Rogers was hustling to 1st. Crazy defense all around between the grounder dropped by Clement, the attempted tag on the force play, the catcher's interference (which I think is a bad rule in general, I'm surprised there isn't someone that just intentionally swings and hit catcher's mitts given it is a free base no matter what even when it was a strike and after the pitch).

out of town scoreboard hasn't been kind tonight but still looking like mariners and tigers losses at least.

Just crazy. These Jays aren't boring at least...

With players like Smith and Bateman in the mix, I can envision the 2027 Blue Jays being a bit like the 2025 team, but with better starting pitching. Pesky/scrappy, stringing together hits and good ABs, good defense. Still need Vladdy to bounce back and another legit masher or pure hitter in the lineup (Santander doesn’t count). Wouldn’t mind seeing Gausman back on a one-year contract.

Smith rebound easier to see now?

They say Bateman is know for his plate discipline.
I don't know but I think he put good swings on all the strikes and watched all the balls.

Defensively, he hardly had to do anything.

Can they get mileage out of Wadson?

It all add up to interesting baseball right now.

As has been noted, the key to everything is for the Jays to survive two-weeks-plus until the 24th.

So I decided to see what the competition is facing in the meantime:

Baltimore (came into tonight 7-8 in their last 15)
Every game they play during that stretch is against a team with a better record than there's, including 10 of 16 vs the Yankees and Rays

Seattle (5-10)
Ditto. TB, NY, Houston, Milwaukee, Cubs

Detroit (9-6)
After this series in SF, it's Cleveland, White Sox, Pittsburgh Cleveland. The way Cleveland has played lately you can decide for yourself if that's soft.

Cleveland (4-11)
Theoretically softer than the foregoing - CWS, Detroit, SD before hosting SF for three then going to Colorado.

Minnesota (8-7)
Everyone they face has a better record except Baltimore, and Ryan just went on the IL

Texas (7-8(
Should still hold the WC on the 24th - Baltimore, Angels, A's, Nationals, Angels.

Other than the fact that Boston is practically unbeatable right now (32-5 since the turnaround) you could squint and see a path to being more or less the same situation vis-a-vi everyone here except Texas when this tough stretch is past. A shot at passing Baltimore and Seattle and drawing near even with the Twins and the Tigers and be right around 2-3 games out.

Or, they could fold like a cheap tent. We'll see.

Jays longest losing streak this year is 6 games. Dodgers got walked off for their 7th loss in a row.

How is that clown a major league umpire? Did he even get above 80% correct? 

The kids are alright. Did they just account for most of the offense?

I could see maybe signing Sanchez as a DH / bat-off-the-bench / emergency OF. He can hit and has a decent eye.

Sanchez is a pure platoon bat.
He hasn't played LF much and seem to get surprised by the ball.
He looks like a kid who slammed 2 red bulls.

It's crazy to think Little can throw a 97mph fastball but doesn't because it gets hammered. Surely, he could use it a bit more.

Crazy game.
Kirk lost a challenge on a ball that was almost down the middle.
He grimaced when he saw the result.

Please no to ever bringing back Sanchez back. A 105 wRC+ bat with absolutely horrible D doesn't really play anywhere. He doesn't come close to hitting enough to be a DH.

An indictment in the Jays season. Highest position player WAR: Gimenez. Highest WRC+: Jesus Sanchez. Not ideal. I don't think Lukes is a starting player, but he is one of only a few Jays that is often a hard out. It's something you really notice between last year and this. Jays seemed to be giving a lot of hard abs and making pitchers work and this year it feels like they have just weak ab after weak ab.

Not a great game for Kirk. Lost two challenges early, didn't realize there was a force play at home in the ninth plus a catchers interference.

Crazy game.

Rogers must be down today.
He threw 35 pitches.
The crowd went wild during the 9th, but with Marsh at the plate and bases loaded, there were long faces everywhere.
Big acquisition Arraez went 0-4.

3 Years ago Schneider screwed up and made a mound visit to talk to Manoah, forgetting that Walker had made one earlier in the inning. By rule that forced Manoah out of the game. Last night Will Venable, the White Sox manager, did the same.

One big difference though. With the Jays, it was the 6th inning and Manoah was struggling after throwing 85 pitches. With the White Sox, it was with 1 out in the first inning. To compound the error, the Sox bullpen had thrown 8.1 innings and 135 pitches the night before in a 13 inning loss to Boston.

I don't think Lukes is a starting player

I was kind of shocked watching the broadcast last night that Lukes only has 19 RBIs for the season after almost 300 PAs.

A good part of that is likely that he's slashing 208/264/250 in 56 PAs with RISP. Though he's actually hitting closer to league average & better than his overall line with men on base in general.

Some of it is because he's leading off against RHP since Springer was demoted. Some of it is his lack of power (only 2 XBHs with RISP). Some of it is just statistical noise.

But Lukes has been getting regular ABs since his spring return from injury after his vertigo settled. He even starts occasionally against LHP because the Jays' OF lists so hard to the left.

BBRef likes his defense. But it definitely seems like an upgrade is needed when your platoon corner OF will struggle to compile 40 RBIs in a full season's worth of ABs.

A manager has no business making mound visits in the first.

Lukes can't hit lefties, but can definitely hit righties (110wrc+ vRHP this year and 110wrc+ career), and is very good defensively.

How is that clown a major league umpire? Did he even get above 80% correct?

75% Called strike accuracy. Balls were called better.

110 WRC+ and bad against same side for a platoon player isn't a good starter for me. If Lukes were 26 or something, I'd be more into seeing what he can do, but he's 32 and more likely to decline than improve. Jays should absolutely aim higher for a starting player. Sanchez is a better hitter but a much worse fielder. Lukes is a much better fourth OFer.

I’d argue that Lukes is exactly the platoon LHH OF that Sanchez isn’t. I’d agree that Lukes continues to grind ABs even when he’s struggling. He’s no star but upgrading on Lukes is lowish on the offseason priority list.

I don’t even agree that sanchez is a better hitter than lukes.

Last 3yrs

Sanchez 114wrc+ vR / 30wrc+ vL
Lukes 111wrc+ vR / 57wrc+ vL

I would go even further and say Lukes grinds plate appearances, not just ABs.

If Lukes were a CF then I'd be fine with him starting. Maybe Bateman becomes a Lukes-ish bat with CF defense and speed, which would be a solid starting player, but Lukes as a corner OF is as pedestrian as they come. A 1-2 WAR player. I think that's the Jays problem looking at their lineup. It's full of players that ideally you'd want either in utility or platoon roles. Vlad (when he's on) and Kirk are the only ones that have a chance to be difference makers. Springer as well but he's 36 and an impending FA. Sanchez is a platoon DH, but paired with a RHB that can hit LHP, that wouldn't be a bad option (though likely unnecessary use of money with Santander presumably on the roster next season, if healthy). Barger until proven otherwise is also in the platoon category.

in his first 30 games since coming off the IL Lukes hit .340

in 32 games since he's hit .198 (including .119 in his last 12)

I'm typically a JS defender but for me maybe his biggest fault is riding to long with a guy who's gone cold presumably giving them a chance to recover. I get that in the current circumstance they need to play him, but not anywhere near the top of the order.

You can’t say that Luke’s is a 1-2 WAR player negatively. He’s producing that in 2/3 (or less) playing time. That’s above average production. He doing that for peanuts. If platooned properly that’s a 3ish WAR OF. I’m not arguing that you couldn’t upgrade but it’s a low priority. If his defense drops or he gets expensive then that’s a different matter.

Lukes (autocorrect got me:))

TamRa i think you meant plate appearances, not games.

And we can't keep overreacting to every 30pa hot or cold streak.

ah no you meant games - you weren't referencing his injury a couple weeks ago which kept him out for a week but i guess didn't put him on the DL. my bad.

Lukes is currently our best OF!

But still:

Lukes last 46pa: -8wrc+
Lukes prev 46pa: 145wrc+

can't bail on everyone everytime they have a cold streak.

I think it’s games.

Last 7 days (28PA) hitting .115 (231 OPS
Last 14 days (47PA) hitting .149 (407 OPS)
Last 28 days (75PA) hitting .200 (539 OPS)
Last 365 days (434PA) hitting .257 (666 OPS)

Not what you want out of a corner outfielder.

Since the 2nd half of 2025, Lukes has a 92 wRC+ and 1.4 fWAR in 514 PA (147 games). This is what he is, especially given his age and skillset. There's no real upside there. If he were a 4th OF, then I think he'd be fine in that role. In fact I actually hope that's what happens next season with Straw's option not picked up (though Atkins might be crazy enough about defense and contact to do it). But as a starting corner OF, even in a platoon role, he's miscast. It's just that the Jays OF in general is bad so he stands out positively a bit more. Not a bad player at all, just more of the same with this roster. A 1-2 WAR player better suited in a utility or part time role.

Lol.

Lukes Jays Career until 2 weeks ago: 775pa, 110wrc+
Lukes Season up until 2 weeks ago: 246pa, 113wrc+
Lukes Last 2 weeks: 46pa, -8wrc+

"this is what he is"

"TamRa i think you meant plate appearances"

No, I mean games.

5/25-6/28 (114 PA)
.340/.393/.495/.888

6/29-8/7 (122 PA)
.198/.264/.252/.517

And what if you remove the 46PA prior to the 46PA you removed?

that would be a 105wrc+ over his first 200pa.

Ugly, remove his 2024 small sample size data, and just look at 2025-2026 when he was given regular playing time and see what happens to his wRC+. The latter includes the 119 wRC+ he had in the first half of 2025 which I think most would agree was him punching above his weight. He has a .284 xwOBA this season. He's much closer to the 90-100 wRC+ range as a hitter, which again isn't bad for a 4th OF who can play all OF positions.

I have no idea where you got the idea that you should just choose the exact selective cutoff point to support your argument. That's just not the way numbers work.

Yes, the only two years where he played regularly and just happen to be the most recent sample was me manipulating the numbers in my favor. If you think his 2024 SSS where he had a wRC+ bordering 140 is somehow relevant to any future projections for him, then that’s up to you.

I don’t understand - he has a 100wrc+ over his two years as a regular. 106 vRHP.

My take on so-called "arbitrary end points" is
a. is the selected sample big enough to be significant?
B. was there a notable change in circumstances that you can look for a different outcome (i.e. came off of an injury, batter changed his stance, pitcher added/dropped a particular pitch)

In such case, the sample is less arbitrary than, say "He hit better in June" - a calendar month is very much an AEP

I’ll try this discussion one other way (ignoring all the end point choices people are proposing). In 2027, the Jays will need 4 (or more) OFs. The only player on the current roster or at AA/AAA who I see as being a decent bet to be a league average (ish) player is Lukes. How about we fill the other 3 spots first before we worry about upgrading on Lukes. Maybe Barger and/or Santander can get healthy and play well. Maybe Bateman. It is certainly the right ambition to want to upgrade on Lukes but he isn’t the near term problem.

today's lineup:

1. RF Lukes l
2. CF Bateman l
3. 1B Guerrero r
4. DH Springer r
5. LF Sanchez l
6. 2B Clement r
7. SS Gimenez l
8. C Valenzuela s
9. 3B Smith l

When a player slumps or gets hot for a stretch I often like to look at exactly when did the streak start - did anything happen then to explain it or was it just 'dumb luck' either way?

Lukes career is sub 800 PA - under 2 full seasons worth of playing time. So safe to say we can't be 100% certain of what level he can perform at in the majors. Lots of guys have a hot/cold 800 PA stretch (Vlad in the midst of a cold one a good example). Lukes peaked on June 28th as he was at 310/357/439 after that game, a 796 OPS. He went 0-7 the next 2 games, hitting 198/264/252 ever since. Is there anything that happened at that point of the season, or around there, to cause this? He played a lot before it, a lot after. NYM-Seattle-SF were the next 3 opponents and I can't recall anything (a slip in the OF, bad swing, getting spiked) that happened. Given that I'd lean towards this just being a slump, as happens to all players. He has sucked, but could start a hot streak tomorrow. If there is an underlying problem one would hope the coaches on the team would catch it and adjust accordingly. For now he might need a few more days off here and there, let the kids play more if possible. Lets see if they can play, Lukes is a 100 OPS+ OF with above average but not WOW defense, very useful but not critical. I'd like to see what Bateman and Smith have, heck, Sanchez and Schneider - be good to know if Schneider can get it going or not when planning for '27 and beyond.

Strikes me that we have a nice example of the impact one big bat can have on a lineup.



Yankees Pre-Judge Injury - 117wrc+, 5.2runs/gm

DH Rice 229pa, 189wrc+
LF Judge 261pa, 151wrc+
RF Bellinger 251pa, 142wrc+
1B Goldschmidt 127pa, 140wrc+
CF Grisham 224pa, 102wrc+
SS Caballero 173pa, 101wrc+
2B Chisholm 229pa, 99wrc+
3B McMahon 163pa, 74wrc+
C Wells 159pa, 65wrc+

UT Rosario 97pa, 129wrc+
OF Stanton 96pa, 103wrc+
IF Volpe 52pa, 128wrc+
C Escarra 65pa, 44wrc+

UT Jones 27pa, 29wrc+
OF Dominguez 32pa, 71wrc+
IF Schuemann 24pa, 186wrc+
OF Grichuk 33pa, 41wrc+



Since Judge Injury - 87wrc+, 3.9runs/gm

DH Rice 246pa, 111wrc+
1B Goldschmidt 197pa, 92wrc+
RF Bellinger 183pa, 88wrc+
3B Caballero 176pa, 88wrc+
2B Chisholm 198pa, 83wrc+
CF Grisham 158pa, 83wrc+
LF Dominguez 180pa, 83wrc+
SS Volpe 142pa, 73wrc+
C Wells 103pa, 51wrc+

UT McMahon 115pa, 103wrc+
OF Jones 98pa, 101wrc+
IF Rosario 97pa, 66wrc+
C Sanchez 60pa, 85wrc+

UT Garcia 17pa, 133wrc+
OF Ramos 13pa, 171wrc+
IF Schuemann 63pa, 72wrc+
C Escarra 27pa, 35wrc+

That's our vladdy.

The Luke's discussion. Obvious points. If there was a better option it would be an interesting discussion but like Nigel says there aren't and he's at the low end.

Vladdy two big hits in same game? Love it!!

Very efficient pitching performance by Scherzer so far: 4 IP,  H, 0 BB, 0 R, 52 pitches. 

3 H that is

That was a big balls pitch from max.

Those two hanging sliders - not so ballsy.

I don't know if it's coming through on the TV broadcast, and it's quite possible I'm misunderstanding what I'm hearing, but I could have sworn I heard Boston Celtics chants coming from the crowd.

GIMMY LEFT ON LEFT DAMAGE

Gimenez looks like the worst hitter in the world 75% of the time but then has these insane abs against pitchers you'd think he'd have no shots to get against. It's very strange.

Fisher has nerves of steel. A good quality in a reliever.

As Mike Green pointed out earlier this season, although Gimenez’s overall offensive numbers are not good, he tends to produce in leverage situations. He did it again tonight.

Disappointing PA by Vladdy in the 10th, groundout to SS on a 2-1 pitch and failing to advance the runner.

Kid can run!

I wonder if season to season consistency (for a batter) is the new market inefficiency to a certain threshold. Raleigh, JRod, Vlad and others going SO hot and cold over the years.

That's what's magical about the 2026 Jays - if Vladdy doesn't get the job done, Gimenez picks him up.

Lukes, a couple of great plays in field. Gimenez too. Easy to see defensive gap between this two teams and that has not happened much this season.

We’ll know in October whether this Blue Jays season was magical or not. So far, not magical — but not over yet.

I had to reboot. How did they give up the lead in the 11th?

Nathan Lukes.

This is what he is.

What a game by Lukes

Natey Lukes…poetic.

Who cares SEASON CHANGING HR!!! But but but this team is not good enough to have a non zero chance to make the playoffs...

Stay on the bus.

OK fine, maybe the Jays don't need to upgrade from Lukes just yet.

I’ve always said Lukes is a premier corner OFer lol

Lukes is a blue collar overachiever. Goes up there, grinds, gets some very big hits. Understands his strengths. Doesn’t have a big ego. Paid extensive dues in the minors before making it to The Show.

wins and losses aside, this bunch is playing with a lot more pizazz lately.

Maybe the addition of Bateman and Smith is helping add some energy to the team. Before the deadline the team simply wasn’t fast enough.

Great job by Estrada in the 11th. Sharp.

BAL HOU MIN CLE lose.

Good night.

Another great, gritty game. Don't get to see an intentional balk very often, but it was indeed the right move. Schneider managed a good game again today and made all the right moves.

Nigel, no disagreement from me that they need to upgrade the OF first before relegating Lukes to a lesser role. They probably need an entirely new outfield, or at least two spots if you assume Barger comes back strong in RF. My point was simply that I don’t think Lukes is an everyday player and they shouldn’t view him that way heading into next season.

Although I do like that talking negatively about a player only for them to have a great game the same day is continuing trend.

Agreed John Schneider did well. I feel like the Varsho drop has helped this team dramatically both defensively with Bateman and Straw getting the playing time and at the dish.

winning tomorrow really would be remarkable. They've been bad on Sunday's lately, they have exactly one sweep since March, and the pen is well and truly gassed.

Yep, Boston is definitely using our disses as inspiration for their historically torrid turnaround this summer. Now let’s do the same.

Great to see Vlad look good again. And this is one heck of a defensive OF again with Straw-Bateman-Lukes. The other thing that seemed good today was working lots of pitches to tire out the opponent (207 pitches the Jays batters, only 179 for Phillies). Seemed very 2025-ish. Still in WC hunt.

Great to see some life out of the team, especially Vlad! Smith looks like, at worst, a good utility defender who can hit a bit. 

I didn't mean Sanchez as a full-time DH, but as other suggested, the old Jorge Orta LHB part of a platoon - he should maybe take some reps at 1B to further his career. Unless he's even worse on ground balls than fly balls. He just seems like the type who can get a bit hit here or there and/or pinch-hit at times. Okamoto would, of course, be taking over the Cliff Johnson role with Barger/Clement/Smith handling 3rd. 

Clutch hit by Gimenez - I was wondering why we didn't see DSchneider there - but it worked out. Of course, then we had DSchneider pinch-hit later anyway.. 

LUKES!! Great catches, clutch hitting, has been MVP of the first two games, IMHO.

Totally agree that the team seems more engaged the past 10 games or so. Fun fun game.

So who’s next for the power of da Box? Who can we rip for a bit so that they can get there’s back? Maybe Okamoto? He’s been slumping. Okamoto sucks! Okamoto is a platoon DH at best! Who’s with me?

Okamoto can't hit after pitchers adjust to him. He was the worst signing ever.

I go back to the boston series for the first signs of life.

Kaz is OK, but he's not good. And if you're not good, at least be scrappy. Okamoto is a big O on the scrappiness scale.

As for Sanchez, if it were up to me, I wouldn't teach him to play a different position in the offseason, I'd teach him to play for a different franchise.

Now we’re cooking:)

Yeah, we should totally dump our best hitter (OPS) among the semi-regulars.without a second thought. Especially with an offense among the worst in the league. 

I agree ugly, the Boston series the results weren't there, but at least the at-bats started to get a little better. They managed to win series against Washington and St. Louis mostly with good starting pitching, minus the one Bieber catastrophe.

I've felt since the Varsho trade the team got much better overall. I'm sure if the wins keep coming, the numbers will bear this out.

"I've felt since the Varsho trade the team got much better overall. I'm sure if the wins keep coming, the numbers will bear this out."

Funny, I had a thought last night (no doubt fueled by beer and cannabis consumption), that the way the Jays have played since the deadline reminded me of the narrative about underperforming teams that 'turn it on' (or regress to the mean, if that's your preferred expression) after firing a manager.

I don't recall many stories about trades kickstarting a team, but given the number of veterans on the team, and the assumption that if players feel guilty about getting a manager fired, they may also feel guilty about getting their friends traded away. Perhaps they feel that if they played up to their abilities Gausman et al would still be Blue Jays. And perhaps the fresh blood combined with the remaining talent will drive a new narrative, about the veterans getting their act in gear as the team goes on a run.

Like I said, I had 'outside help' with this line of thought.

reminded me of the narrative about underperforming teams that 'turn it on'

Bringing this to mind...

In this that random number change probably happened before the deadline!

I mean it’s hard to quantify a vibe shift, Varsho was well liked, but he was a step or two slower in center field, with a very weak arm, who was a black hole in the lineup. He wasn’t even much of a stolen base threat when he did get on.

His absence allows for the Jays to, at the very least, try someone else. And so far, it appears an improvement at one position has made the Jays much better.

Kirk started to hit better, as did Springer before the deadline. Scherzer and Bieber have been much better since the deadline.

Jays won two series heading into the deadline. Looked good in the series before that too.

Heh, I never accused narratives of sticking to the facts :)

Congrats to Shane Bieber on handling all but one Philly

Schwarber creamed that cheese.

Gotta love how loud our bench is on every pitch. They're into it.

Ach that 5th run feels big.

If someone mentioned this, I missed it.

Last night both starters achieved milestones. Scherzer moved into sole possession of 10th all time with his 3516th K.

Aaron Nola became the 2nd pitcher to surpass 2000 K's in a Philly uniform, though well behind the Philly leader, Steve Carlton's 3031.

Interconnect the 2 and there is a quiz: What is the record for K's by a pitcher in one uniform?

oh man. THAT close to a tie ballgame.

come on get one more hit.

I pinch hit for Gimenez here.

CLUTCH GIMMY MY FAVORITE PLAYER EVER

not bad eh Nigel?

truthfully I wasn't trying to reverse jinx Gimenez -- but nice work Andres.

K's in one uniform - Walter Johnson? I think he only played for one team, unlike Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Clemens, Carlton...I think Bob Gibson was a 1-team guy as well.

Are you not entertained?

gotta say the constant loud BOOOOs from the fans are pretty hilarious after all the USA USA USA chants the first 2gms.

question was what is the record for K's.

bateman not a buntman.

dammit vladdy.

Ah, I misunderstood. I'll take 3509. Or 3773, I do have a fondness for palindromes.

NATHAN LUK-US GUNSHOW


THIS IS WHO HE IS

Bit of a trick question, even though the answer was in the post. Max passed Johnson last night with his 3516th K, so Johnson had 3515.

FG and BBRef both have Johnson with your 3509. But Elias is the official number, and they found 6 K's that had been missed due to shoddy record keeping over 100 years ago.

Well, as I've said a few times, this is not a boring team.

Lukes > Sanchez. On second thought, Lukes >>> Sanchez, OPS be damned.

MENSA won't be knocking on Sanchez's door any time soon.

If it’s real, Bateman’s Brett Butler profile would do so so many things for this roster.

Butler knew how to bunt.

So have the Jays pitchers ever issued 10+ BB in 2 games of a series before?

ah well. at least the rangers are about to lose to keep us within 3.5.

Butler was a fantastic bunter but then again so were a lot of players in that age of baseball. Now, not so much. These days I’m surprised when someone does show an aptitude for bunting.

What a depressing way to take 2 of 3.

Once again, the $500M man lets this team down. Just painful to watch.

2/3 is great but kind of ugly series. Phillies are just not a pleasant team to watch for me. Was hoping for at least not an extra inning game because the bullpen is absolutely gassed.

Tbh i'm feeling good about winning a series against a good team and the last couple losses being in extras.

I kind of feel pretty good about Bateman out there.

K's in one uniform - Walter Johnson?

Yep, by quite a bit, whether the correct figure is 3,515 or the 3,509 I was told all my life. Steve Carlton is the only other guy with more than 3,000 for one team.

Except for the guys behind him - Gibson, Kershaw, Smoltz all cleared 3,000 for a single team.

Great night on the out of town scoreboard.

Magpie, there are 5 total.

Bob Gibson, John Smoltz, Clayton Kershaw also with 3000+ K's with one team.

Nevermind, answered before reading your 2nd post .

The pen is running on fumes. That lack of off day on Thursday really hurt. I'm not expecting a miracle run here, but the team is facing better competition and not bending. They are 4-3 to start a brutal 20 game stretch (13 with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays to conclude it).

If they end this stretch at 10-10 I'll be impressed. I suspect we'll see a bullpen shuffle again tonight before the next series.

Call up ricky. That 3 run game was only one real hit.

Nevermind, answered before reading your 2nd post

Typed in an awful hurry when I realized I hadn't bothered to check the group behind Scherzer and Walter!

I really am jonesing for some Ricky T but my objective side suspects he'll be the extra man on September 1 and I'm just emotionally resigning myself to that. Would be cool to be wrong though.

Normally they'd go back to Van Eck for Estrada but he started today, I don't think Dallas has been down long enough and Lee sure hasn't. Klien only pitched 2 innings in his Saturday start so you can't rule him out. Beyond that they'd have to add someone to the 40.

Varsho hit his first HR as an Astro

The Jays have 43 games left. I think if they win 30 or so (70%) they'll probably be one of the wild card teams. Chances are slim but it seems possible.

"The Jays have 43 games left. I think if they win 30 or so (70%) they'll probably be one of the wild card teams. Chances are slim but it seems possible."

I think the team is objectively a little worse talent-wise than before the deadline, but new players bring new hunger and maybe everyone is a bit looser, so vibes are better. If Yesavage were healthy, I'd like Jays chances a tiny bit more more but Bieber, Scherzer, and Taillon starting 60% of your games isn't great. Most important thing for me now is that I am enjoying games more than before and Jays are still in it in August. One day at a time and you never know what can happen. Beating the Red Sox is always a good time so let's do that.

I think the team is objectively a little worse talent-wise than before the deadline,

The other obvious issue is the loss of Jeff Hoffman as the arguably #2 or #3 leverage reliever in the back of the pen.

The Jays have been playing well. But they are running guys like Lazaro Estrada & Matt Waldron out in high-leverage spots partially because everyone in the pen has moved up a rung with the loss of Hoffman (and to a lesser degree Macko & Nance). It's certainly arguable that the Jays lost 2 games this week because they had to use AAAA types in big situations with Hoffman gone.

Another problem seems to be that the Jays' system is perpetually deficient in young fireballing one-inning guys they can call upon.

They've done well the last 2 years finding unheralded guys like Fluharty & Fisher to fill the middle innings on the cheap.

But the in-house Jays reliever phenotype always seems to be more finesse than power. They simply don't seem to have the same reservoir of 97-99 mph anonymous one-inning guys they can tap into at will like some other clubs seem to have.

Miles has moved to bullpen full time to try to replace Hoffman's innings while Scherzer and now Taillon have moved to rotation. I think the better plan was to have Arrighetti in the rotation but injuries have foiled that.

McAdoo leading off.
Bateman hitting second.

This should be interesting.