Belt comes up clutch for Blue Jays: 'We trust him in huge spots'

BOSTON -- One day after sitting against a left-handed starter, Brandon Belt found himself in a precarious position in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game at Fenway Park. He made the most of it as the Blue Jays eked out a 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

With the score tied at 3 and the bases loaded with one out, Boston opted for a left-handed reliever to face the Blue Jays' designated hitter.

Against Brennan Bernardino in an 0-2 count, Belt delivered a single into left field that plated Davis Schneider and made it a 4-3 game.

“With the way he’s swinging the bat and what he’s been through in his approach that he takes every single time, you’re going to trust him in those spots,” manager John Schneider said.

Asked if he considered a pinch-hitter -- given that Belt had entered the game with only 26 plate appearances and a .182 average vs. lefties this season -- the Toronto skipper did not hesitate: “It’s the sixth inning and it’s Brandon Belt. It’s the dude that’s won two World Series and has an awesome approach. We trust him in huge spots. Looking back to April, maybe you think twice about it [then].”

Belt, who was hitting just .169 after the first month of the season, also contributed a home run in the third inning to give his team an early 1-0 lead.

“My approach really doesn’t change that much throughout the at-bat,” said Belt, who went 2-for-4 on the day with two RBIs and a walk. “If I can get myself to a point where I’m really seeing the ball and not thinking about much and letting my body react, I put myself in good position to get some hits.”

The long ball was Belt’s 10th of the season and his fourth in his past 11 games, after going without one in 20 of 21 games prior.

It was also the third time he had a two-hit game over his past four appearances.

Saturday’s win was a matter of Belt and Co. taking advantage of the situation, mixing in some very strong defense with excellent pitching and timely hitting.

Toronto possessed a 5-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, and after Tim Mayza forced Rafael Devers to hit a weak grounder for the first out, the Blue Jays brought in Erik Swanson to close the door.

Unfortunately for Toronto, Boston pounded out three straight singles, scoring one run and putting the potential tying and go-ahead runners on base. Connor Wong then sent a lofting fly to left-center field, only to watch Kevin Kiermaier come up with the catch at the Green Monster before throwing it to second base to double off Reese McGuire, ending the tense showdown.

“As soon as I saw [Kiermaier] settle under it, you feel better,” John Schneider said. “But it was definitely a hold-your-breath moment. … It wasn’t easy. A little stressful, but at the end of the day, you have the right guys against the right guys in the lineup.”

“We did what we had to do to get the job done, and that’s all that really matters in the end,” Belt said. “We had a couple of breaks go our way. We put ourselves in good position by getting on base and putting people in scoring position.”

With the win, the Blue Jays clinch this three-game series against the Red Sox, after entering the day 1-7 against them this year. Toronto also puts another game between them in the AL Wild Card race, where the Blue Jays now hold a four-game edge over Boston.