ARLINGTON, Tex. — Almost everything is going according to plan for the Jays these days.
Well, maybe not everything, but when you have a guy in the middle of your lineup doing what Bo Bichette is doing these days, it’s easy to gloss over all that other stuff that might not be so perfect.
Bichette was in the middle of everything again in Saturday’s 11-7 win over the Texas Rangers.
He had a 3-for-5 night with three doubles, scored a run and drove in another.
On this road trip though, a night like that by Bichette barely moves the needle.
Since the team hit the road on Sept. 1, Bichette and the Jays have played nine games, won eight of them with Bichette hitting six homers, driving in 18 and scoring another 13. On the trip he is hitting a red-hot .525 (21-40).
That has all come in the month of September.
“This is a pretty crazy stretch he’s on,” Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s crazy. We know he is good, and this is the best version of Bo we have ever seen.”
When that sentiment was relayed to Bichette, he agreed, but only to a point.
“Yeah, for sure this season,” he said. “I think I have had moments where I have played to this level before, but definitely this season and probably in the big leagues.”
It’s not just Schneider who is shaking his head over the display of hitting he is seeing from Bichette.
Last night’s starter and winner Kevin Gausman has his own perspective on what is going on with Bichette.
“I think he does an exceptional job of hitting the ball where it’s pitched,” Gausman said. “If you pitch him away, he’s going to hit it in that direction and if you pitch him in he’s going to try and pull it.
“As I’ve said before, from a pitching standpoint, where are you supposed to go?” Gausman asked. “Especially how hot he is right now. You can just see the confidence when he steps into the box. He expects to hit a double or a home run every time right now. You can see it on his face and it’s really fun to watch.”
Gausman was the benefactor of some of that Bichette confidence last night as his 3-for-5 night was just a piece of the 15-hit attack the Jays put together in an 11-7 win over the host Texas Rangers.
Gausman admitted his night wasn’t quite as locked in as either Bichette or battery-mate Danny Jansen who enjoyed a four-hit night, but then with 11 runs to work with, he didn’t really have to be.
The Jays got Gausman four in the first, saw him give back three in the bottom of the inning and then restored the big lead with another five in the third highlighted by Raimel Tapia’s three-run homer deep into the seats in right field.
The Jays will go for the sweep this afternoon with Trevor Richards serving as the opener on a bullpen start as the Jays line up their starters for the key five-game set against Tampa starting Monday in Toronto.
While Toronto was back in the win column Saturday the Rays dropped one to the Yankees and are now just a half game back of the Rays for the firstr wild card and only five back of the Yankees for the American League East division lead.
Gausman’s shortish stint Saturday meant the Jays had to dip into some of that bullpen a little more than they might have liked.
As mentioned, the weekend hasn’t been perfect from Toronto’s standpoint. Friday was a bit of a grinding affair and with a huge early lead Saturday the Rangers crawled back to make it a game expending some potentially necessary pitches from Toronto’s pen, but there’s no denying the end results haven’t been satisfying.
Rangers starting Kohei Arihara became a little timid after the Jays put up that four-spot on him in the first and started nibbling as a pitcher who is being hit hard is wont to do.
He walked two in the second inning but got out of it unscathed when he got Matt Chapman to ground weakly to third for the final out of the inning.
But two more walks in the third around that three-run blast by Tapia got Toronto back on track.
The Jays would add two more in the fourth as Jansen chased Arihara for good with a two-run homer to make it 11-3.
Gausman appeared to have things back in control until the Ranger’s sixth when he began approaching the 100-pitch mark.
Gausman began the inning at 89 pitches and left at 101 after giving up a two-run homer to Sam Huff.
Zach Pop replaced Gausman and gave up two more before getting out of the inning on a double-play ball off the bat of Corey Seager.
The Rangers though were back in this one, down just four and the Jays bullpen was up and throwing.
Toronto would need to go through four relievers after Gausman left to finish off the final 11 outs.
Following Pop was Anthony Bass for an inning and then Adam Cimber for 2/3 of an inning.
Cimber gave up a single to Josh Smith and hit pinch hitter Kole Calhoun turning over a two-on, two-out situation to lefty Tim Mayza.
Mayza came on to face the left-handed hitting Corey Seager and got Seager to ground out to first to end the threat and maintain the four-run cushion through eight.
Mayza came back out for the ninth to finish the game off and earn his first save of the year.
Where all of it leaves the Jays heading into the finale of this series is needing at least one of Sunday’s relievers to give them at least four innings with Yusei Kikuchi the likely candidate.
Richards, who will serve as the opener, has not pitched in this series, so he’ll handle the early duties with Kikuchi, David Phelps, and Julian Merryweather the most likely first four up for action.
Schneider said all members of his bullpen will be available to him should he need them.
PROUD PAPA DELAYED
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez was originally expected back from the birth of his third child in time for Saturday’s game.
But needing one more day with the family and with the paternity leave already maxed out at three days, the Jays added Hernandez to the restricted list on Saturday to allow him one more day with his family.
Hernandez is now expected back in time for Sunday’s game when he will be activated.
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