Hitting wasn’t supposed to be a problem for the Blue Jays. Vlad and Bo can’t do it all

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This article was published 18/04/2021 (1668 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blue Jays’ pitching staff has found a way to remain effective despite a seemingly endless list of injuries. The same cannot be said about the everyday lineup.

Most of the talk after Sunday afternoon’s 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals centred on pitching. An alarming six walks from Robbie Ray and high-leverage innings from long relievers T.J. Zeuch and Tanner Roark of all people only served to distract from the much bigger issue.

The Jays didn’t drop the series finale against the Royals because of Ray’s erratic command. They didn’t lose because Zeuch surrendered a two-run homer in the eighth. They lost because they didn’t get any production from their ice-cold bats, a trend which has become far too common during the season’s opening month.

On paper, the Jays’ lineup is middle of the pack. They finished Sunday in a four-way tie for 13th in the majors with 66 runs. The problem is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are the ones responsible for most of that, and whenever they don’t hit the Jays have trouble scoring. It’s as simple as that.

Guerrero has been doing his thing as one of the best hitters in baseball. The 22-year-old went hitless on Sunday but is batting .389 with a 1.174 OPS. Bichette is doing his part with four homers, 10 RBIs and an .820 OPS, which looked better a few days ago before a quiet series in Kansas City.

After those two, the numbers are ugly.

• Marcus Semien is batting a woeful .182 out of the leadoff spot.

• Rowdy Tellez has the same average with an even worse .467 OPS.

• Lourdes Gurriel has one extra-base hit, and he’s only getting on base once every four at-bats.

• The catching duo of Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk have combined for six hits.

On Sunday, the production went from bad to worse. Former Blue Jays second-rounder Brady Singer entered having allowed more runs (10) than innings pitched (8 1/3) and by the end of the day he looked like someone who might be in the running for the Cy Young. The Jays were limited to two hits while striking out eight times and going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

“Today, of course, it was obvious that we didn’t hit,” manager Charlie Montoyo said after his team was shut out for the first time this season. “You have to give their guy credit, he pitched a good game. The lineup is changing around because a lot of guys are getting hurt. Today, the at-bats were not that great, but I think their pitcher deserves some credit because he threw the ball pretty good.”

The good news for a struggling lineup is that help should be on the way soon.

Teoscar Hernandez, who has been out of action since April 8 following a positive COVID-19 test, could return by the end of the week. George Springer might join him for the series in Tampa Bay if he continues to progress from a strained quad.

Those two won’t fix everything, though. The lineup will have to live up to its billing to give this team a shot at contending, and there’s every reason to expect it still will. Until it does, though, the Jays are wasting solid innings from a staff that is even more undermanned than the lineup. The team that wasn’t supposed to have much pitching ranks first in the American League with a 3.07 ERA.

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The quality outings likely aren’t sustainable, but the offensive woes shouldn’t be either. While Semien might not be the MVP finalist that he was in 2019, he’s a much better hitter than he is showing right now. Randal Grichuk, who struck out four times on Sunday, is falling back to earth after a hot start, but Gurriel should eventually be there to pick up the slack. The catchers can’t stay this bad forever.

“The lineup is not the lineup you were expecting,” Montoyo admitted. “Guys are playing now that were not supposed to play. Maybe some guys are putting more pressure on themselves because the lineup isn’t as strong as it used to be, but that’s how it goes. Hopefully these days off (Monday and Thursday) will help us out to get guys back and have that good lineup that we’re supposed to have.”

Before anyone panics, remember this: The offence started out equally poor a year ago before finding its footing. The same thing should happen again when the injured players return, and the others start performing closer to their career norms.

The downside is that the pitching won’t stay this good forever and there may come a time when this period is viewed as a missed opportunity. A team with the AL’s best ERA shouldn’t be under .500. Blame the bats, not the arms.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca