“You know,” he began at the Rogers Center’s manager’s office, “our initial rotation leads the American League to signings. There is little information for you. “ However, it is more than a trivial piece. Gathering so many entries early on, the Blue Jays’s mainstay kept their team steady in the games, while maintaining the bullpen for when it matters most. So far, the combination works. Typical example: 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon against Houston Astros. Key Jose Berrios made 5.2 effective innings before giving the ball to Adam Cimber, Tim Mayza and Jordan Romano. Together, they kept Houston’s strong lineup in just one straight eight-yard streak as the Blue Jays improved to 14-8 this season. Offensively, the Blue Jays had only six hits, but as two of them were at George Springer’s home, the Blue Jays were able to bounce back from a disappointing defeat on Friday night. With the win, the Blue Jays are now 8-2 in a series of games, and while this level of success is probably not sustainable, these wins are in the bank. In the fifth inning, composure erupted. With two saves and one runner in the second base, home referee Nic Lentz called Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out in the blows. This 1-2 fastball? It was a strike. But at-bat’s first pitch was a ball out, and Lentz called it a strike. So was the first pitch of Guerrero Jr.’s first bat. and that in which Lentz promoted him in the first inning. In this context, Guerrero Jr. was angry. He hit his bat on the ground and expressed his frustration as he headed back to the home dugout. At that point, Montoyo stepped onto the pitch and offered Lenz a few words of his choice. When Guerrero Jr. warmed up his teammates in the first base, Montoyo was sent off. Admittedly, arbitration is a difficult job. No one expects perfection in balls and kicks, and that was not exactly the level of Angel Hernandez’s disaster that recently led to Kyle Schwarber’s mini collapse. At the same time, it is fair for players to expect greater consistency. And to make it even smaller, is it good for the game when the referees take the bat out of the hands of Vlad Guerrero Jr.? Before the game, Teoscar Hernandez and Hyun Jin Ryu both took part in a simulated game on Saturday morning and could both leave for detox work next week. These aids will help support a team that is already playing some high quality baseball. On Sunday, the Blue Jays will give the ball to Kevin Gausman, who has filled the void left by Cy Young winner Robbie Ray, even better than expected so far.
