Kiermaier, Vladdy help Blue Jays secure winning road trip to close 1st half

PHOENIX -- That’s a wrap on the first half of the Blue Jays’ season.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and Kevin Kiermaier belted a grand slam as the Blue Jays closed out their first-half schedule with an 8-7 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Sunday.

Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement each added RBIs for Toronto, which finished its nine-game West Coast road trip at 5-4.

“It says a lot about the guys, the character that we have in the clubhouse and that they’re going about it the right way,” manager John Schneider said. “When you’re getting a little bit of a break here it’s nice to hit that break with a winning note.”

The first half of the season has been full of injuries and trade rumors, and some of the players at the center of such speculation played a big role in Sunday’s win.

The game started great for Toronto, which was held to just one run the night before in a 12-1 loss to Arizona. Kiermaier’s slam gave the Blue Jays a 7-0 cushion in the fourth inning, and with starter Yusei Kikuchi seemingly on autopilot, it looked like the Blue Jays would cruise to victory.

Kiermaier has played well since reports surfaced that he had been placed on waivers on Thursday, though that comes as no surprise to Schneider.

“He’s a baseball player, a veteran guy and he understands the business of it,” Schneider said. “Kevin’s been doing that his whole career, overcoming things.”

Then the trouble started brewing.

Kikuchi struggled in the fifth, allowing seven runs after issuing three walks, allowing four hits, and hitting a batter. It was a stunning turnaround for a pitcher who was coming off a career-best 13-strikeout performance less than a week ago.

The southpaw is in the final season of his three-year contract, which has sparked rampant speculation about his future with the club.

“It’s totally out of my hands, out of my control, and all I can do is prepare for my next start,” Kikuchi said through an interpreter. “There are a lot of positives to take away from the first half. Aside from that fifth inning today, I feel like I’m in a really good spot, so I’m still looking forward to the second half.”

Guerrero came to the rescue with a Statcast-projected 438-foot home run in the seventh, which restored Toronto’s lead and ultimately proved to be the game-winning run.

Chad Green tallied the final four outs to earn his sixth save of the season.

Guerrero said the first half of the season presented its share of collective challenges, but closing the road trip with a win is a meaningful way to head into the break, especially as he has seen the tides begin to turn for the team at the plate.

“Not everybody is hot the way we want it to be, but when we take an at-bat everybody is grinding,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “That gives you confidence in the second half to keep working hard and to go to war every game, and try to win some games.”

While the rest of the team gets a much-needed rest, Guerrero heads to Arlington, where he’s a starter for the American League All-Star team.

The game marks the 25-year-old’s fourth appearance in the Midsummer Classic.

“I feel good right now, my swing is there right now,” he said. “I’m going to try to rest as much as I can to carry it over into the second half.”

The Blue Jays begin the second half of their schedule with nine straight games at Rogers Centre, beginning on July 19 against the Tigers.