Blue Jays have 13 games left to save their season after much-needed win over Orioles

The Toronto Blue Jays’ ugly two-game losing skid came to an end Saturday afternoon as the bats finally came to life, powering Toronto past the Baltimore Orioles 7-3.

More importantly, the Blue Jays got exactly what they needed on a day when the pressure continues to mount. Cleveland lost 4-3 to Minnesota, allowing Toronto to gain a game in the American League Wild Card race. The Blue Jays are now 74-75, one game behind the Guardians for the final playoff spot with 13 games remaining.

After being shut out 2-0 by the Athletics in Sacramento on Wednesday and then dropping Friday’s opener to Baltimore 7-4, Toronto needed a response and they got it from several different places, including, perhaps most importantly, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The face of the franchise has endured a ton of scrutiny this season. While this writer never condones fans booing their own players, it’s hard to defend a guy making $35 million a season who has yet to hit a home run at home during the 2026 campaign.

And that would be easier to overlook if the rest of the season had been productive. Instead, Guerrero entered Saturday batting a career-worst .259/.331/.352 with eight home runs in 134 games.

It might also be forgivable if we could at least point to the big moments and say, “There’s Guerrero, coming through when the Blue Jays need him.” But that hasn’t been the case often enough.

All eyes are usually on Guerrero whenever he steps into the batter’s box, but over the last month or so, it feels like he has repeatedly found himself in situations where one swing could change the outcome of a game, only to come up short.

There was, of course, the other side of that equation in Cleveland on Sept. 2, when the Blue Jays demolished the Guardians 11-0. Guerrero launched a three-run homer in the second inning that put Toronto ahead 6-0 and effectively buried Cleveland that night.

Then there are games like Friday, when Guerrero came to the plate with opportunities to drive in runs and couldn't capitalize. Getting picked off at first base also doesn't help.

So when he opened Saturday’s game with an RBI double to put Toronto on the board, there was an immediate feeling of: Maybe this is the one that gets him going.

Guerrero eventually scored on Alejandro Kirk’s single, giving Toronto a 2-0 lead before Kirk added to it in the third with a two-run homer to left. Brett Bateman followed with a solo shot in the same inning, giving Toronto some much-needed breathing room.

For Kirk, it was another indication of just how dramatically his season has changed. Eight of his 10 home runs have come since the All-Star break, and he finished Saturday with two hits and three RBIs.

Bateman’s homer was his second in as many games after he hit the first home run of his career in Friday’s loss.

Those contributions were key since and it gave Toronto’s pitching staff a chance to actually protect a lead rather than watch the offence run away and hide, which has seemed like a familiar theme for the Blue Jays in 2026.

The bullpen has essentially bailed out the team all season. The injuries to the starting rotation have been devastating, but the lineup has rarely been able to consistently blow games open, creating a necessity for the relievers to navigate hundreds of high-stress situations.

And yet, in the second half, Toronto’s bullpen has posted the eighth-best ERA in Major League Baseball at 3.43 while throwing the fourth-most innings, with 215.

On Saturday they came through again, navigating a bullpen game that led them to a victory.

Spencer Miles opened the game and struck out five over two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks. Spencer Arrighetti arguably had his best outing since the trade that brought him to Toronto. He allowed just one unearned run over 2.2 innings, walking two and striking out two.

It wasn't perfect, but it was exactly what Toronto needed, especially on a day when the Twins helped them out on the scoreboard.

Cleveland's loss allows Blue Jays to stay within reach of the final Wild Card spot

Emmanuel Rodriguez homered in his first career at-bat to spark a four-run inning for Minnesota, and the Twins held on for the 4-3 victory over the Guardians.

With the Blue Jays fighting for their playoff lives, Saturday was one of those days where everything together perfectly for Toronto. They got what they needed from their biggest star, a timely hit to get the offense rolling. They also got contributions from their supporting cast and the pitching was good enough to keep the Orioles at bay.

The Twins themselves got just enough offense to hold off the Guardians and allowed all Blue Jays fans to take a deep breath for the evening, before gearing up for the next "biggest game of the year" which happens on Sunday afternoon.

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