Another Bullpen Blowup and 3 More Takeaways From Toronto's Loss to Washington

Four takeaways from the Blue Jays 8-5 loss against the Washington Nationals

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

José Berríos snagged the ball with his ruby glove.

He turned, planted, and fired to second in one smooth motion, but instead of leather, the ball found outfield grass. Minutes after the rogue throw skittered into center, Juan Soto blasted open a three-run lead with an oppo shot.

A rotation turn after Berríos’ worst start as a Blue Jay, a night after Toronto lost 12-6, and hours after the team learned George Springer would be out for weeks, things could’ve quickly spiraled — but they didn't. Instead, Toronto tacked on some runs, held the Nationals scoreless for the next four innings, pulled ahead with back-to-back homers, and postponed the unraveling until the bottom of the seventh.

"The mood in there is still good," Montoyo said, gesturing to the clubhouse, "We're going home again, and we played good last time we were home, so hopefully that's gonna get us going again on the right track."

Losing consecutive games to a team coming off a seven-game losing streak, the Blue Jays loss pushed Toronto to 9.5 back of the AL East lead and 4.5 out of a wildcard spot. Here are four takeaways from Toronto's loss:

Torrid Teoscar Continues Hot Stretch:

The Blue Jays have turned winning the American League Player of the Week award into a habit. Days after receiving his first of the season, and coming off three-straight honors for Blue Jay batters, Teoscar Hernández hit his fourth homer in as many days, making an early case to repeat as AL POTW.

Only three Blue Jays have a longer homer streak than Hernández is currently on (Kendrys Morales, Jose Cruz Jr., and Jose Bautista), and the right fielder is currently slashing .483/.500/1.103 in his last seven games. While production at the top of Toronto's lineup has been inconsistent on this road trip, Hernández has been a confident and productive staple in the four-spot.

Berríos Battles Through Five:

Toronto's starter allowed all three of his runs against on a single hit, but there were no easy innings. A start after allowing six runs on four walks against the Los Angeles Angels, Berríos once again battled command on Wednesday. 

"After that three-run shot to [Juan] Soto," Berríos said, "I tried to make my quality pitches and to keep on my plan with the catcher."

His seven walks in the last two outings are his most in back-to-back starts since August 2018, and Charlie Montoyo identified how crucial fastball command is to his success prior to the game. After just 88 pitches (49 strikes), Berríos was removed from Wednesday's contest after just five frames, handing the next four innings to the Toronto bullpen.

Bullpen Hands Nationals Win:

Randal Grichuk bolted straight back toward the wall in the seventh. As he closed in on the warning track, the outfielder looked up to play the deep shot off a bounce that never came. On Brad Hand's second-pitch slider, Josh Bell found outfield seats in the biggest part of Nationals Park. Minutes after Corey Dickerson and Marcus Semien's back-to-back dingers grabbed Toronto the lead, the Blue Jay bullpen handed it all back.

 “Most of the guys in the bullpen are struggling right now,” Montoyo said after the game.

Carter Kieboom's solo shot a batter later signaled the bullpen's fifth run against of the night. The bullpen volatility has been the story all season, constantly fluxing between a state of broken and fixed. The unit has registered the fourth-fewest saves in the big leagues and has given up 18 runs in their last five games. On Wednesday, only Trevor Richards pitched a complete inning without giving up a run.

“We’ve been there before,” Montoyo said. "It’s not easy [to manage a struggling bullpen], but somebody's gotta step up.”

Pregame Roster Shuffle:

Prior to Wednesday afternoon's game, the Blue Jays announced a flurry of roster moves. Toronto designated Rafael Dolis for assignment, placed Alek Manoah on the bereavement list, activated Tim Mayza, and called up Kevin Smith. 

With one out in the 8th, Smith made his big league debut, striking out on five pitches. While Smith’s promotion kicked off an MLB career, Dolis' time with the Blue Jays could be at an end. The DFA'd righty reliever posted a 5.63 ERA in 32 innings this year, posting a higher WHIP in 2021 (1.75) than his 2020 ERA (1.50).