Blue Jays takeaways: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wastes little time finding his Sahlen swing

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This article was published 01/06/2021 (1627 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The view from Deep Left Field on the Blue Jays 5-1 win over the Marlins on Tuesday:

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a slash line of .323/.380/.566 at Sahlen Field last season, and he couldn’t wait to get going as the Blue Jays returned to Buffalo on Tuesday night.

The young slugger smacked the first pitch he saw in the first inning into the right-field corner for a two-out double. He belted the first pitch he saw in the third inning 412 feet to left for a three-run homer. And, after fouling off a pitch in the fifth, he lined the next offering to right for a single.

Three at-bats. Four pitches, four swings, three hits.

In his final plate appearance of the night, Guerrero again fouled off the first pitch, then actually took one. A low slider from John Curtiss was the only pitch he saw all night on which he didn’t swing the bat. The third pitch of the at-bat was lined to right field to give the 22-year-old his first four-hit night.

Guerrero finished the night batting .337, which led the American League at game’s end, as did his 17 home runs. His 45 RBIs trailed the White Sox’ Jose Abreu by one.

• Bouncing back: The last time we saw the Jays’ bullpen, Tyler Chatwood was walking the world in a final-inning meltdown in Cleveland that took away the opportunity for a sweep on the shores of Lake Erie.

Tuesday night in Buffalo, also on the shores of Lake Erie, Charlie Montoyo went to his bullpen after six terrific innings from Robbie Ray, holding a three-run lead, and three different relievers combined to get the job done.

Tim Mayza was first out of the chute. The left-hander had given up multiple runs in five of his last seven outings, posting a 14.73 ERA in May after putting up a 0.00 mark in April. Mayza faced the bottom of the Marlins’ lineup and took them down in order on just 11 pitches.

Rafael Dolis was next, and he overwhelmed the top three hitters in the Florida order, striking out the side, all swinging, also using just 11 pitches.

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Markham’s Jordan Romano finished things up, despite an eighth-inning Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. home run taking him out of a save chance. The big right-hander wasn’t at his best, making it a nervous ninth by issuing a couple of walks around a single, loading the bases with two out. Rookie Jose Devers pinch-hit, representing the tying run, and Romano struck him out with a filthy 3-2 slider to end it.

• Root, root, root: For the first time this season, the Jays played in front of a crowd that was predominantly cheering for them.

After they spent April and May playing home games at Dunedin’s TD Ballpark, often populated by fans of the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays and Phillies, the Jays were given a raucous welcome to their new home by the Buffalonians.

The sound of 5,321 cheering fans — Sahlen Field is currently open at 35-per-cent capacity — was music to the ears of a home side that finally got to feel like a home side. For the first time since 2019, Jays players heard fans ramp up the cheering when their pitcher got to a two-strike count, boo when the opposing pitcher threw to first to check on a runner, and explode out of their seats on big hits like Guerrero’s three-run shot in the third inning.

The stadium capacity will increase to 45 per cent shortly, and 100 per cent soon enough, providing all the fans are fully vaccinated, and it will be most welcome indeed.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness