'Really encouraging': Manoah takes big step forward
TORONTO -- Alek Manoah pitched like it was 2022. For seven innings in Sunday afternoon’s 5-1 loss to the Twins at Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays saw the old Manoah, the AL Cy Young finalist, proudly strutting around the mound after another strikeout. The right-hander gave Toronto seven innings of
Vlad Jr. busts out cartwheel in extremely entertaining attempt to turn two
TORONTO -- Cirque du Soleil is in town, but you might as well just come to the ballpark. Fans were treated to an early show by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre, when the Blue Jays’ first baseman leapt to snag a liner by Twins shortstop Carlos
Why is this one team Gausman's kryptonite?
This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Injuries & Moves: Springer (illness) returns to leadoff spot
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'Nobody quit': Guerrero's big day leads Blue Jays to big comeback win
TORONTO -- “The ball is round and it comes in a square box.” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smiled through his words, evoking the old Spanish saying about how strange this game can be. That rings true in many ways for Guerrero and the Blue Jays right now, but it felt particularly
New lineup, same results: Offense squanders another gem by Kikuchi
TORONTO -- New-look lineup, same old story. The Blue Jays continued to shuffle things around on Friday night, pressing to find a way out of their persistent offensive woes. But the answers eluded them again, and another brilliant outing by one of their starters ended in a tough loss. -
Blue Jays' second annual Cricket Night helping Canada grow the game
TORONTO -- Saad Zafar finds kindred admiration in a guy like Shohei Ohtani. As an all-rounder -- cricket’s version of a two-way player -- Zafar can relate better than most to the toils of high performance on both sides of the ball. That feat isn’t as rare in cricket as
Blue Jays’ tide could change with this pitcher’s return
This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The most surprising developments for each team
There has been no shortage of surprising developments in the 2024 season. Whether they are good or bad developments, or on the player or team-wide level, there are plenty of trends that have already shifted the arc of this season. With the help of each club's MLB.com beat writer, here
Blue Jays bounce back nicely, but still need more from key players
PHILADELPHIA -- The Blue Jays know there isn't one simple way to fix all of their problems -- and yes, that includes tweaking the lineup. Penciling Bo Bichette into the No. 6 spot instead of No. 3 (or No. 4 or No. 5) isn't going to fix everything on its
Potential future closers -- one for each team
Big league closers can come from all areas of the pitching world. Some are guys who have always been relievers, from college all the way up to the big leagues. Some were starters whose power stuff (and perhaps lack of command) were better suited for shorter stints coming out of
Frustrations reach a boiling point in blowout loss to Phillies
PHILADELPHIA -- The Blue Jays' early-season frustrations reached a boiling point in the fourth inning of Tuesday night's 10-1 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Moments after José Berríos served up a grand slam to Bryce Harper on a night when Berríos allowed more runs than he had
Here are the weirdest stats and plays from the past month in the Minors
After a multi-season hiatus, Crooked Numbers returns with a heaping portion of Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the start of the season through the end of April, has a disproportionate number of items from the Triple-A level. As for why that is, who knows? Maybe
Manoah's stuff flashes, but results still elusive in return
WASHINGTON -- The Blue Jays aren’t asking Alek Manoah for much. Manoah hadn’t pitched in the big leagues for the Blue Jays since Aug. 10, 2023, and there have been moments since when it felt like we wouldn’t see him again in this uniform. The past year-plus has been so
Breaking down Toronto's relief struggles
This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Moved to No. 5 spot, Bichette willing to do 'whatever' to help offense
WASHINGTON -- Early Saturday, a songbird sang a prophecy. A Blue Jays hitter, making the long walk down the hallway from their clubhouse in Washington to the batting cages, passed by manager John Schneider’s office midway through crooning a verse from “Down With The Sickness,” the 2000 hit by Disturbed
'The time is now': Urgency mounts after another tough loss
WASHINGTON -- The tone just shifted. For five weeks, you’ve heard encores of 2023 catchphrases as manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays explained a sluggish offense. "This will turn around soon." "It’s going to come." "It’s just a matter of time." "Don’t worry about a thing, 'cause every little
Berríos named AL Pitcher of the Month
One down, five (and change) to go. With April comfortably in the rearview mirror, it's time to hand out the first round of monthly awards for the 2024 Major League Baseball season. Here are the eight stars -- household names and new phenoms alike -- receiving honors for their performance
Childhood friends and high school teammates reunite for Triple-A Buffalo
For Brian Serven, playing on the same field as Andrew Bash is “as close as you can get to playing with your brother.” Serven and Bash, who are teammates on the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, aren’t technically kin. But they’ve known each other for so long, they might as well be.
Mattingly hears your 'shave those sideburns' bits
This story was excerpted from the Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. TORONTO -- Don Mattingly has never watched that episode of The Simpsons. He’s still having fun with it, though, autographing Simpsons-style images of himself
Here is the hottest hitting prospect in each organization
Pitchers are meant to be ahead of hitters. Sluggers need at-bats to get into the rhythm of the season, and that takes time. Or at least that’s how the popular belief goes. But some Minor League hitters are proving they don’t need time at all to come flying out of
See who the Blue Jays land in 2024 mock draft
You know it’s really Draft season when the first mock draft is out. Between now and July 14, when the 2024 Draft begins, Jim Callis and I will be providing prognostications of the first round on a fairly regular basis with the hope that our final mocks the night before
Blue Jays coming up short despite quality starts
TORONTO -- They call it a quality start for a reason. When your starting pitcher delivers at least six innings pitched and three or fewer earned runs, that’s usually enough to win a ballgame. But on Wednesday against the Royals, Chris Bassitt’s quality outing didn’t cut it. Once again, the