Blue Jays takeaways: Neither unnecessary rain delay nor lack of offence can prevent José Berríos from delivering win

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This article was published 29/08/2021 (1515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The view from Deep Left Field on the Blue Jays’ 2-1 win in Detroit on Sunday:

DETROIT—The Blue Jays wrapped up their season series with the Tigers by following the same, agonizing script they have been using for the past fortnight or so. Score very few runs, don’t hit with runners in scoring position, and hope to get enough pitching.

It worked, thanks to an outstanding start by José Berríos and Tim Mayza notching his first save in the big leagues by getting the final four outs. But, man, is it hard to watch.

The Jays went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position Sunday, which made them 3-for-27 in such situations over the three-game weekend series. Shockingly, they won two of the three games and wound up splitting the six-game season series despite scoring only 13 runs.

The two biggest opportunities Sunday came in the third and seventh innings. Each time, Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette reached base to lead off the inning, bringing up the meat of the order with runners on first and second and nobody out. Nothing. The only runs scored by the Jays Sunday came on solo home runs by Bichette and Kevin Smith, his first in the majors.

Hitting with runners in scoring position isn’t a repeatable skill. It’s not something you can will yourself to be better at, but the Jays, as a group, have been abominable lately. Since this hitting slump began in earnest at the beginning of their last homestand — they have scored 27 runs in 10 games — the Jays have hit .132, 12-for-91, with runners in scoring position.

To say that can’t continue is a massive understatement. Perhaps the wretched Orioles, coming to Rogers Centre for a three-game set starting Monday night, can be the tonic the Jays need. If they’re not, then September isn’t going to be much fun.

• A passing shower: After seeing dozens of games in which teams have been forced to stay on the field through pouring rain for innings at a time, it was stunning to see umpiring crew chief Phil Cuzzi call for the grounds crew when it started to rain after the Jays finished hitting in the top of the fifth, leading 2-0 and three outs away from an official game.

The sky was blue, with more white, puffy clouds than dark ones, and though it was raining pretty hard, the game situation dictated that they play another half-inning to make the game official, especially with this being the last time these two teams face each other this season.

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It became even more apparent four minutes after the teams came off the field, when it stopped raining and never started again. By then, the tarp was on the field.

Twice during the delay, Jays pitching coach Pete Walker gave Cuzzi an earful. Berríos had been pitching a gem, shutting out the Tigers on three hits with five strikeouts through the four innings and, if the delay went too long, he would cool down or possibly even not be able to come back out. Manager Charlie Montoyo was right there with Walker for the second heated debate.

There was no gamesmanship on the part of the Tigers. Once the first pitch of a game is thrown, the sole authority for calling for a rain delay is the umpiring crew. The delay lasted 26 minutes, 22 of them bone-dry, and Berríos turned out to be none the worse for wear, striking out the side around a Victor Reyes double once play resumed.

• Bouncing back: Berríos needed a strong start after three clunkers and, on a hot and humid afternoon, he delivered. The right-hander gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but got the next hitter, Jonathan Schoop, to hit into a double play. That marked the first time in three outings that Berrios hadn’t allowed a three-run homer before recording the first out.

He then struck out Robbie Grossman on three pitches, the first of 11 strikeouts over his seven innings of work. Berríos didn’t walk anybody, and the only run he gave up was unearned, the result of a Kevin Smith fielding error on a Schoop grounder leading off the sixth.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness