Behind Bassitt's gem, Blue Jays retrieve their winning identity

TORONTO -- Who are the Blue Jays? It depends on the day.

Less than 24 hours after one of the season’s most frustrating losses, complete with controversial decisions and a late rally that flopped, Toronto rolled out of bed and played one of its cleanest games in weeks. Wednesday’s 7-0 win at Rogers Centre was straightforward and simple, taking a series from the Nationals that the home team desperately needed.

The win temporarily moved the Blue Jays within three games of the Mariners, Astros and Rangers, three clubs tied for the final two American League Wild Card spots behind the Rays. All three were set to play later on Wednesday, giving the Blue Jays a chance to move within 2 1/2 games of anyone who loses before they lean into a much-needed off-day on Thursday.

“I would say every game is a must-win from here on out,” said starter Chris Bassitt, who held the Nationals scoreless for eight excellent innings. “We know there’s a lot of pressure on us. There’s a lot of pressure on a lot of teams. But overall, it’s more so just getting the job done. You can say it’s pressure, but at the same time, this is why we signed up to play for this team. This is why we do it. It’s exciting.”

Now, the Blue Jays hit the road nursing some bruises. There’s no Bo Bichette, no Matt Chapman and very little room to stumble in the AL Wild Card race. Here are the challenges they’re still facing on both sides of the ball the rest of the way.

Rotation check: What’s left in the tank?
The Blue Jays’ rotation has been rock solid, surpassing expectations even with its Opening Day starter back in the Minor Leagues … again.

They’ve carried a heavy load, though. Here’s where the top four starters, outside of Hyun Jin Ryu, rank in the American League.

3. Chris Bassitt -- 165 1/3 IP
7. José Berríos -- 158 IP
10. Kevin Gausman -- 155 1/3 IP
19. Yusei Kikuchi -- 139 IP

“The starters have been so good,” manager John Schneider said. “It’s [almost] September, so they’re all feeling it. They’ve been durable and healthy the whole year. They understand what’s coming out of the bullpen, too, so it’s all about using your eyes and seeing how the starter is executing. You’re seeing which stress level the innings are.”

Bassitt isn’t at the top of that list by accident, either.

“I think everyone has a niche,” Bassitt said, “of what their job is and what they’re good at. I’m not going to strike a lot of guys out. Gausman just passed 200 strikeouts. I’ll never do that in my career. I’m not a strikeout guy, although I can strike some guys out. For me, I pride myself that every five days, I’ll be out there and hopefully eat enough innings to rest the bullpen. The main goal is to get to 200 innings.”

You’ll see some adjustments in between starts, like Gausman skipping his bullpen session this week, but it’s full steam ahead otherwise.

Musical chairs
In the two games since Bichette hit the IL, the shortstop position has taken on a whole new identity, and third base isn’t far behind.

“[Cavan] Biggio playing short yesterday, he checked that off his bucket list,” Schneider said with a smile on Wednesday. “He’s been [asking] about doing that for about five years. You try to put as many guys in the right spots as possible. At the same time, it’s pretty obvious that we’re playing for offense and sacrificing a little bit of defense with moving guys around.”

How will the Blue Jays, a club redesigned to win with high-end defense as one of its best traits, manage this pivot in approach? There’s merit to it, particularly when you look at what Davis Schneider continues to do as a rookie, but Toronto is officially leaning into the approach that John Schneider said could look “dirty” or “weird” at times.

This doesn’t need to work forever, though. It needs to work for a week, or maybe two weeks, until Bichette returns. And like Davis Schneider has shown, one hot stretch can change everything about how a position on the diamond is viewed.

“If we put it all together, I don’t think there’s a better [team] in the big leagues,” Bassitt said. “I really don’t. It’s just a matter of if we can put it together at the right time.”

They’ve got a month to prove it, and of the many identities the Blue Jays have, Wednesday’s is the one that works.