Varsho's signature moment sparks win over Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- For a Blue Jays team that has at times struggled to come up with big hits, Daulton Varsho certainly came through on Monday night at Dodger Stadium.

Varsho's decisive two-run double proved the game-winning hit in Toronto's 6-3 victory over the Dodgers in 11 innings.

“Huge spot for him,” said manager John Schneider. “Big knock in a big spot. That hopefully does wonders for him.”

Going up against the National League West division leaders, the Blue Jays knew they had their work cut out for them, and they played a close game all night. Matt Chapman’s eighth-inning homer -- his first home run in 42 at-bats dating back to July 6 -- briefly gave them the lead, before Max Muncy re-tied it in the bottom of the frame.

After the bullpens exchanged zeros in the ninth and 10th, the Blue Jays got off to a promising start in the 11th, with Chapman reaching on a throwing error and Whit Merrifield loading the bases with a single, one of four hits he had on the night. Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford then left a 1-0 fastball over the heart of the plate for Varsho and he didn’t miss, driving it to right field. The ball evaded Jason Heyward’s glove and hopped to the wall, allowing two runs to score.

“I think it's through all the effort and all the time, preparation,” Varsho said when asked how he managed to stay in the moment. “Understanding who the pitcher is, putting all that together and trying not to do too much, trying to get your pitch and try to stay as low-key as you can.”

It’s been a difficult month in an overall difficult year for Varsho, whom the Blue Jays acquired from the D-backs over the offseason in exchange for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno. Coming off a couple of solid seasons with Arizona, Varsho was batting .212 with a .628 OPS through 98 games entering play Monday. In July, he’d gone just 7-for-51 (.137) with no extra-base hits prior to his double against the Dodgers.

Monday’s heroics won’t change the stat line dramatically, but they did provide Varsho with a signature moment with his new team.

“You gotta keep your head up, gotta keep grinding and you gotta help this team win any way possible,” said Varsho. “… Being able to come up with another opportunity again and getting it done, it was a great feeling.”

After Varsho’s hit, Toronto picked up an insurance run on back-to-back walks to Alejandro Kirk and Bo Bichette.

Jordan Romano then held things down in the bottom of the 11th, picking up his 28th save, tying him with the Orioles’ Félix Bautista for the most in the American League.

Romano’s outing was interrupted by the club's trainer coming to look at him following the second out, but Romano is “fine,” according to Schneider.

“Just kind of Jordy walking like Jordy a little bit,” said Schneider. “After having a little back thing, just wanted to make sure.”

Yet another nail-biter that came right down to the wire, the Blue Jays have certainly grown accustomed to games that are close in the late innings. In the past week alone, all but one of Toronto’s seven games had a margin of no greater than two runs in the late innings.

And the Blue Jays have taken notice of this trend.

“It seems like these guys are tested mentally every night,” said Schneider. “It seems like games are close, games are tight, there's big spots whether we're hitting or when we're on defense. So hopefully, that makes us a little bit more battle-tested down the road and becomes a little bit more natural for the guys as we go. ... not that you want it to be like that every night.”