Blue Jays week in review: the good, the bad, and the noteworthy for August 25

It was a mediocre week for the Toronto Blue Jays as they played .500 baseball against two sub-mediocre opponents. Toronto went 1-2 in Pittsburgh and took the first two games against the Marlins before losing the series finale in Miami on Sunday afternoon. The silver lining from this week was the fact the two teams chasing them in the AL East were playing each other for four straight games, ensuring only one of them could gain any ground, and neither of them did, with the Red Sox sitting second, five games back and the Yankees half a game behind Boston.

While it wasn’t the best performance on the field, the Blue Jays did see some great performances, include a debut to remember from their prized trade deadline acquisition.
Here is the good, the bad and the noteworthy from the last seven days of Blue Jays baseball.

Blue Jays week in review: the good, the bad, and the noteworthy for Aug 25

The Good: Bieber’s debut goes about as good as it could have

Shane Bieber’s first outing for the Toronto Blue Jays was one of the best debuts in team history. Bieber flourished over six innings, giving up just two hits, one being a home run, while striking out nine and walking none. It was his first start at the MLB level in over 500 days, and it looked like he didn’t miss a beat, even adding a new pitch to his repertoire, with a devastating changeup that the Marlins hitters had no answer for.

The bad: Guerrero Jr.’s potential injury

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. appeared in just two games this week for the Blue Jays, thanks to a potential hamstring injury that could have been a lot worse. On Monday in Pittsburgh, Guerrero was seen pointing to the back of his leg and saying something to the dugout. Later in the game, Guerrero made an impressive play at first, going into the splits to record an out, but was then immediately taken out of the game after he got back into the dugout.

Guerrero missed the remainder of the Pirates series and made one pinch hit at-bat during the Miami series. That one at bat in Miami came on Sunday in the finale and that would indicate Guerrero is on the mend and won’t have to spend any length of time on the IL.

The noteworthy: Springer ties a franchise record

When George Springer sent a 3-2 pitch off Johan Oviedo over the wall to lead off the game on Thursday in Pittsburgh, it marked a history tying home run. That leadoff dinger from Springer was his 22nd in a Blue Jays jersey which ties him with Devon White for the franchise lead in that category. 

White was a Blue Jay for five years starting in 1991 and hit 72 home runs during that time, topping out at 17 in a season twice (91, 92). Primarily Toronto's leadoff hitter during the World Series years, White managed a .432 SLG and 102 OPS+ before leaving as a free agent after the 1995 season. 

For Springer, who like White, started his Blue Jays tenure as a centre fielder, it was the 61st leadoff home run of his career. That is currently the second most home runs to lead off the game by any player in MLB history, behind Rickey Henderson’s 81.

On deck: From worst to first in the Central

The Blue Jays return home for a six game home stand against two teams on the opposite ends of their respective Central Divisions. On the AL side, the Twins, who sit fourth in their division, come to town for a three game set starting Tuesday. Max Scherzer and Joe Ryan will toe the rubber for their respective clubs in the opener. Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer get the ball for Toronto in the next two games. 

Following that the NL Central division leaders head to Rogers Centre for a weekend series showdown between two of the unlikeliest division leaders at the on-set of the 2025 season.