Takeaways from Toronto's DH split

May 31st, 2021

With the Blue Jays standing on the doorstep of taking a series sweep out of Cleveland and heading to their new home in Buffalo on a high note, some ghosts from last week’s losing streak reappeared.

After Clevaland stormed back to tie Game 2 of the doubleheader at four in the sixth inning, and gave the Blue Jays the lead once again in the top half of the seventh inning, walked the bases loaded and brought in the tying run on his fourth walk of the inning. When manager Charlie Montoyo finally gave Chatwood the hook, allowed the walk-off sacrifice fly in the 6-5 loss.

“For us to be good, Chatwood needs to do the job. He needs to be the reliever he has been,” Montoyo said. “You’ve got to give him a chance to regroup and do the job, get a double-play job or something. He just couldn’t do it. That’s two straight bad outings -- but we need him. That’s a fact. He was our best reliever for the first two months.”

Game 2 had shades of Toronto’s six-game losing streak a week ago to the Rays and Red Sox, where each loss seemed more heartbreaking than the last. The Blue Jays still took the series, with a win on Friday and a 4-1 win in Game 1 on Sunday, but the finale will leave a sour taste in their mouths once again, after another win slipped through their fingers.

Up until the late bullpen meltdown, things were going well. The Blue Jays had jumped out to a comfortable 4-0 lead thanks to , who had another big day at the plate after homering in the first half of the doubleheader.

Hernández broke Game 1 open with a 433-foot blast to left field, a solo shot, and he followed that in Game 2 with a double with the bases loaded, bringing home all three runners while just missing out on the grand slam. With already humming along as the engine of this lineup out of the No. 3 hole, having Semien thriving in the leadoff spot with Hernández catching fire behind him has turned this group of hitters into the juggernaut everyone expected.

Now at 27-25, the Blue Jays roll into Buffalo to enjoy a much-needed off-day on Monday. This recent stretch has been unusual, too. Between a pair of doubleheaders and Friday's win, which was cut short due to weather, Toronto has played five consecutive games of less than nine innings. That’s never happened in the history of Major League Baseball, but neither has a team calling Dunedin and Buffalo home while hoping to return to Toronto.

As the Blue Jays turn the page, here are the major takeaways from the series that was:

Marcus owns May
Semien finished April with a .211 average and a .658 OPS. What a difference a month can make.

Semien has been one of the best players in MLB in May, pumping his average up to .297 with a .915 OPS, and he will get plenty of consideration for Player of the Month. The veteran went a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk in the first half of the doubleheader, then took a walk in the second half. His timing couldn’t be better either, as he's taken the role of leadoff hitter in the absence of George Springer.

“I feel good with what I’m doing in the cage and in the game,” Semien said. “My swing feels really good. That’s always step one. It allows me to see the ball longer, because when your swing is short, you’re able to hit the fastball and adjust to the offspeed better.”

The Blue Jays now have a legitimate question when Springer returns. This lineup still projects to be strongest with Springer at the top and Semien hitting elsewhere, further lengthening the powerful group, but there are plenty of options on the table. Semien’s one-year, $18 million contract is already looking like a fantastic piece of business by Toronto.

The rotation is finding its groove … finally. tossed five innings of one-run ball in the opener, leaning on his fastball early on before switching gears late. The right-hander is fighting to stay in the rotation long term after some early struggles, but he’s making a fine case.

followed up with five innings of work, allowing four runs (two earned) and notching four strikeouts, which looked sharper than his line suggests given the tough ending. Giving the bullpen a bit of a breather is a major benefit here, too. Not only are the Blue Jays coming off a stretch of shortened games, but they’re also getting far more length from their starters.

Did you like this story?
In this story:

Keegan Matheson covers the Blue Jays for MLB.com.