BALTIMORE — Normally the loss of an all-star second baseman would be cause for concern for a team eyeing a big run into the post-season and beyond.
But when the player replacing injured Santiago Espinal is a two-time all-star himself, well, the pain can go away in a hurry.
That’s exactly what the Blue Jays are getting from veteran Whit Merrifield, who made things happen once again on Monday during a 5-1 win over the Orioles on a miserable night for baseball at the sloppy track that was Camden Yards.
A game that was delayed two outs into the eighth inning was ultimately called 51 minutes later due to conditions that worsened rather than improved.
The result allowed the Jays to reduce their magic number to lock up the top seed in the American League wild-card race to one, and the Detroit Tigers took care of that hours later by defeating the Mariners 4-3 in Seattle. The Jays will play Seattle in a best-of-three series at the Rogers Centre beginning on Friday.
With Monday night’s win, the Jays improved to a season-high 22 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2015 campaign.
“That’s a sign of a really good team with a lot of great personalities,” manager John Schneider said after a chill-to-the-bone night. “There was one singular focus today when the game did start and that was to win.
“It’s tough because you are managing not only a game, but you’re trying to manage the forecast as well.”
But amid the cold on Monday, Merrifield continued to heat up as he cruises towards the first post-season appearance of his career.
The versatile infielder, who has seamlessly moved into Espinal’s spot while rediscovering his form on offence, drove in a pair of runs in the second inning and used his base-running prowess to score another in the fifth.
“What he’s been doing is kind of what he’s been doing his whole career,” Schneider said of Merrifield, who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline. “Not just with his versatility, but with the at-bats, his ability to run the bases … just little tiny things that he does to impact a game that have really gone a long way. His track record speaks for itself and his career speaks for itself.”
With his two-run single on Monday, Merrifield has now hit safely in 11 of his past 12 games (he was batting .421 over the previous 11 heading into the first of three against the O’s.)
And it’s clear that he’s benefiting from the increased and consistent playing time in the absence of Espinal, who has now missed 11 games with an oblique strain.
“There is that,” Merrifield said, recently, of the benefits of consistent playing time. “Before, it was almost like I knew I was going to have a couple of at-bats to try to do something. Now I’m more in the flow of the game from the start and it helps a little bit.
“At this point of the year, it’s not about whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s about winning games. I’m just glad I’m able to contribute and do some things that are good to help us win.”
That feeling of accomplishment has added to the anticipation of heading to the post-season for the first time in his seven-year career. Obviously acquiring a player of proven talent such as Merrifield could be huge as the playoffs unfold, especially given his latest production.
“Hot streaks are nice when they come, but that’s the kind of player I am,” Merrifield said after this third multi-hit game in the past four days. “I can do different things to help and impact the game. It’s nice they are coming at some big times for us.”
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Fast forward a full calendar year and the Jays have now matched that 91 total, tied for the sixth most wins in a season in franchise history.
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