MINNEAPOLIS -- The Blue Jays need a Big Three.

Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah give the Blue Jays two legitimate frontline starters, each fitting every definition of a No. 1 in the postseason. To make a run deep into October, though, this team needs José Berríos to be capable of stealing games.

Before the Twins walked off vs. the Blue Jays 6-5 on Friday at Target Field in a messy bottom of the 10th where multiple defensive miscues cost Toronto, it looked like Berríos’ night. He was dominant early, breezing through Minnesota’s lineup and building on the considerable momentum he’d built through July, a month he spent rediscovering his form as one of baseball’s most consistent starters. Then, the big inning came knocking.

“That’s why I got mad a little bit,” Berríos said. “Because we are in this position right now competing for our goal as a team. To not be able to go long in the game made me mad. My team had my back, and we almost came back.”

Berríos couldn’t escape the fourth, allowing a pair of home runs (one in the third and one in the fourth) before leaving with five runs against him over 3 2/3 innings. This pushes his ERA back up to 5.19, miles from any typical Berríos ERA, but the right-hander’s July has earned him a level of trust again.

It felt close, and frankly, that’s how most of Berríos’ struggles have felt. He’s not losing the zone entirely or falling apart in grand fashion. It’s small things, individual pitches and bad timing.

“Judging his stuff and how it was playing early? They were swinging,” interim manager John Schneider said. “They were aggressive on him. It was working out great. His pitch count was low, and he was going to be rolling, but a couple of bad pitches against some hitters who can do some damage.”

At this point, you can divide Berríos’ season into two chapters.

From Opening Day until the end of June, it was ugly. Berríos had just spent five seasons being one of the most consistent pitchers on the planet, but suddenly lost it, posting a 5.86 ERA over his first 15 starts. If it weren’t for Gausman’s downright incredible start to the season and Manoah’s emergence as a legitimate cornerstone of this franchise, it’s all we would have talked about for the first three months.

Then, July came. Berríos finally nailed the minor adjustments he’d been making with pitching coach Pete Walker and settled into a groove, pitching to an even 3.00 ERA over his six starts in the month with 42 strikeouts over 36 innings. This featured a 13-strikeout performance against the Phillies on July 12 at Rogers Centre that reminded you Berríos isn’t just a steady arm, but a pitcher capable of having outstanding, game-altering performances.

“I want to keep on that track and try to keep that consistency,” Berríos said. “Tonight, I didn’t throw well, but I’m going to turn the page. I know I’ve been throwing the ball lately, so I want to keep that in mind.”

This is especially important because there are no high-upside starters to be found a week into August for the Blue Jays. Earlier in the week, Luis Castillo went to the Mariners and Frankie Montas went to the Yankees, but the Blue Jays trusted their top end, choosing instead to improve their depth by adding Mitch White from the Dodgers, whom you’ll see Saturday.

There’s no ace up their sleeve with a top prospect on the cusp, either. Those days are in the past for Nate Pearson, who’s slowly working back from yet another injury, and No. 3 prospect Ricky Tiedemann is still just 19 years old. He’ll be the story of the season in 2023, and just made his successful debut in Double-A, but that’s a long way down the line.

What Friday did have, though, was a postseason atmosphere in Minneapolis.

It’s something Berríos knows from his days pitching for the Twins, where he made three trips to the postseason, but he’s still looking to do that for the first time with the Blue Jays.

Toronto fans filled the bleachers above the Blue Jays’ dugout on the third-base line, their chants overtaking the locals at times. When Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a home run to center field to bring the Blue Jays closer, the chants of “Vladdy! Vladdy!” drowned out Twins fans entirely.

From Raimel Tapia’s game-tying single in the ninth to the Twins’ walk-off in the 10th on a close play at the plate, this game had it all, especially chaos.

From 2017-’21, Berríos’ starts didn’t have much of that, and the Blue Jays will need more of his July form if they hope to succeed in October.