3 Takeaways from Blue Jays' Series Loss vs. Rays

Toronto had some big pieces return from injury and shook up its lineup over the weekend.

The Blue Jays (18-17, third in AL East) dropped two of three over the weekend to the Rays (21-14, second in AL East), and it was an up-and-down series for this Toronto club, which has now lost seven of its last 10.

Here’s what you need to know:

Batting order finally gets an overhaul

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo has rolled with the same lineup the entire season. It hasn’t worked lately, so he’s finally shaking things up.

On Saturday, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moved up the two-hole, Teoscar Hernández went to third in the order, and Bo Bichette was bumped down to clean-up. Matt Chapman also batted leadoff Saturday while George Springer rested his sore ankle, and the new look lineup found some success against Rays pitching later in the game.

This has long been the most sensible lineup configuration for this year’s Blue Jays. By moving Guerrero—Toronto’s best OBP guy—up a spot, it gives him more at-bats and puts him on-base for the club’s run producers. Bichette, who’s prone to strikeouts, didn’t make as much sense in the two-spot, so his free-swinging approach fits much better in the four-hole.

The last notable change from the revamped lineup saw Santiago Espinal move all the way up to No. 5 in the order, which seemed to work quite well, as the 27-year-old drove in a run in the first inning Saturday. Espinal has quietly been one of the Blue Jays’ better overall players this season—his 1.5 bWAR leads Toronto’s position players—so a jump higher up the order has been overdue.

Expect Montoyo to continue with this batting order at home versus the Mariners Monday. 

Ryu shows he’s still got it

Expectations were very mild for Blue Jays starting pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu when he returned from the injured list Saturday, but the 35-year-old reminded everyone that he’s a quality major-leaguer.

A leadoff homer rocked the boat, then Ryu settled in afterwards. The left-hander worked around some hits through 4.2 innings of work and walked away allowing only one earned run. His 71 pitches weren’t super efficient, but his method of success, particularly on his strikeouts, showed this was the best version of Ryu we’ve seen all season.

A heat map of Ryu's changeup location Saturday. From Baseball Savant

The changeup, Ryu’s X-factor pitch, was placed perfectly all game and it generated four swings-and-misses. The South Korean pitched well, and the velocity was back to normal levels, indicating his forearms issues are behind him. Ryu also benefitted from having personal catcher Danny Jansen return behind the dish.

Jansen returns with a bang

Out of action since April 10 with an oblique strain, Jansen made his return to the Blue Jays lineup in style, mashing a two-run home run in a 1-for-2 night on Saturday, while managing Ryu on the mound.

Welcome Back, Jano! 💣 #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/uMr4zchgbD

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 15, 2022

The 27-year-old was off to the best start of his career before his injury, going 4-for-8 with two homers, two RBI, one walk, and zero strikeouts. Toronto looked great when it had Jansen in the lineup earlier this year, and he picked up right where he left off in his first game back.

It seems odd to hail Jansen as this batting order’s savior, but it’s possible his addition gives the Blue Jays a bit of a spark. Jansen’s defense will help the pitching staff stay comfortable, and his bat should stretch out the lineup with some pop in the 7-8-9 spot where he often hits.

The Blue Jays may be the worst team in the league at hitting with runners in scoring position, but they’re still fourth in the AL in home runs. The clutch stats aren't there, though the raw metrics give a glimpse at what the Jays bats are capable of. Perhaps now with Jansen, the offense will break out a bit.