Hey, At Least Vladdy Homered

Vladdy Guerrero Jr. homered, and then the pain train whirred to life as the Blue Jays got swept by the Rangers

© Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

TORONTO – For a short moment, the Blue Jays had life. It wasn’t full, vibrant, or sustainable, but it sure was sweet. And with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the catalyst for all the fun, it was special.

On Thursday, the Blue Jays fell behind early. Classic. But then Guerrero roared to the rescue immediately, shoring up the club’s offense with a lightning bolt of power we hadn’t seen in a while. Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi made a mistake with a breaking ball, and Guerrero clubbed it very high and very far.

The 24-year-old stood at the dish and admired his blast, on top of the world for the first time since his last home run on Sept. 3, nine games ago. The two-run bomb landed 426 feet away in left field, rattling around the second deck. It didn’t matter where the ball landed, though — it could’ve toppled a snack vendor or knocked hot nacho cheese all over the place. All eyes were on Vladdy.

Rogers Centre went wild for its hero, who praised the heavens as he trotted around the bases, stutter-stepping after passing second and then heading on home. The mood in the building was peppy for the first time this week. The star player, who you’ve been told isn’t up to snuff, finally did star player things again.

And Vladdy — ugh, the poor bugger — had some swagger during his roundtrip. It’s been a mundane season for the Dominican, who’s looked increasingly sluggish as the season dragged on. Guerrero’s heart hasn’t looked into it this season, even if that’s very likely not the case. The kid cares, but his swing hasn’t yielded its normal volume of thunder this year. That’s got to sting the confidence. Perhaps Thursday’s big swing might remind Guerrero how talented he is.

And Guerrero is talented — maybe not as skilled as Corey Seager, who added three hits Thursday – but his raw skills are a blessing. The torque, the bat speed, and the power all meshed for that one perfect swing in the first inning (we can glaze over his back-breaking strikeout in the seventh). But this is baseball, not tennis or mixed martial arts; it’s not a one-man show. The rest of the Blue Jays bunch fell short, beginning with starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

The right-hander went just 4.1 innings, allowed four runs, and tied a career-high with six walks. Gausman’s command wasn’t stellar; the Rangers tagged him for a couple of homers, and the Blue Jays offense wrapped up with four hits. Then Blue Jays relievers combined to allow five more runs in the eighth inning. Game over. At least it all began with a bang.

Thursday’s crowd ticked up a notch to 37,594, and Guerrero gave them a much-needed reason to cheer. Life resumes Friday, miserable, thrilling, or somewhere in between. But on this brisk Thursday evening, Guerrero breathed some brief life into a dejected community of Blue Jays fans. After a four-game sweep to Texas, Lord knows they’ll need something — anything — to cling to.