Berríos Justifies Buying Blue Jays

Starting pitching shines for the Blue Jays in a split doubleheader against the Red Sox

Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

On July 28th, the Blue Jays sat 10.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox for the AL East lead.

They were just two games over .500, and 4.5 out of a playoff spot. But, two days later, they sent a pair of top prospects out of the organization for a 27-year-old starting pitcher with 1.5 seasons of team control.

On Saturday, that starter — José Berríos — dropped six innings of one-run ball, clawing for a sweep in Toronto’s doubleheader. The week of the 2021 MLB trade deadline, the Blue Jays were in a precarious position. And though they lost Saturday night, they now appear justified buyers.

In the second inning, Berríos extended his throwing arm and stared out toward left field before stepping back into his windup. After consecutive Christian Vazquez foul offs, Berríos went back to the fastball. The former Minnesota Twin induced a soft bouncer and skipped off the mound before the ball was even past him. He took a soft toss from Vlad Guerrero Jr., striding over to the first-base bag and stomping out Vazquez’s hit attempt.

"I was getting ahead of the count, I was attacking them with my three pitches," Berríos said. "But I think my fastball command was what worked well tonight."

In his first two starts as a Blue Jay, Berríos has delivered 12 innings of one-run ball, striking out 13 while walking just one. Tallying exactly 95 pitches in both outings, Berríos has proved the consistent horse he was advertised to be.

"Berríos was outstanding again," manager Charlie Montoyo said. "Just like Robbie Ray in the first game."

In the sixth, Alex Verdugo skipped around second base looking into the outfield to ensure Randal Grichuk hadn’t brought his fly ball back. Berríos’ first allowed run as a Blue Jay left Verdugo’s bat at 102.4 MPH and snuck over Grichuk’s glove and the centerfield wall 400 feet away to tie the game.

It was Berríos’ lone mistake of the evening, a hanging two-strike curveball, and Boston’s first run in 15 innings. In the last 10 games, the Sox are 2-8 and have been gravitationally pulled back into the wild card race.

The Red Sox added an unanswered run in extras to win it, but “José, José, José, José” chants returned to Rogers Centre Saturday. Even with a doubleheader split, playoff baseball is a step closer to coming back, too.