A 2-4 week is not what the doctor ordered for the Toronto Blue Jays, but that's exactly what we got.
After going 1-2 against a weak Tampa Bay Rays team they also went 1-2 against the Detroit Tigers despite being in all three games.
While sticking around against a tough team can be considered a "moral victory," the Blue Jays need actual victories more at this point in the season.
The Blue Jays are now 22-24 after the tough week, and their home record is 13-12. But even with that unfavorable record, there were still some positives. Here’s this weeks Blue Jays' review.
Blue Jays week in review: the good, the bad and the noteworthy for May 19
The Good: Bombs away
The Blue Jays' bats finally woke up this week, as they smacked 10 home runs across the first four games of the week. Unfortunately, that power didn't wins, as the Blue Jays went 1-3 in those contests.
Seven different Blue Jays went deep in a span that was highlighted by Daulton Varsho mashing three home runs. Varsho now leads the team with six home runs in just 14 games and 52 at-bats. Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also combined for three home runs, which was a great sign.
This is Daulton Varsho's 12th game of the season.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 17, 2025
This is Daulton Varsho's SIXTH homer of the season. pic.twitter.com/Zylr80fTPs
The Blue Jays have hit 17 home runs over the last two weeks (which is tied for sixth in the league across that span), but a lot of those home runs have been solo shots. More than half of their 40 home runs this year have been solo shots (24).
The bad: Bullpen inconsistencies
Allowing runs late in a game will always come back to haunt you, and the Blue Jays learned that lesson several times this week when the Blue Jays bullpen gave up insurance runs across multiple contests.
It started on Tuesday, when the bullpen allowed six runs after the seventh inning, including five in the top of the ninth, in a wild back-and-forth affair that ended in an 11-9 win for Tampa Bay.
That same inconsistency plagued Toronto in their series against the Tigers when Chad Green allowed an eighth inning, two-out home run to Javier Baez on Friday in a one-run loss.
Javy Báez stays on fire 🔥
— MLB (@MLB) May 17, 2025
He crushes this homer 408 feet! #RivalryWeekend pic.twitter.com/4AsV8BpcAd
Toronto’s pitching was dominant the next day, however, as five hurlers came out of the 'pen and allowed just one hit in six innings of relief in a Blue Jays walk-off win.
In the series finale, Mason Fluharty gave up a go-ahead RBI single to Spencer Torkleson in the top of the seventh in a 3-2 loss.
It is not fair to expect the bullpen to be perfect every night, but this is a team that should be able to overcome a one-run deficit. It's clear the Blue Jays bullpen is overworked, and it's s shame that the offense is finding its groove at the same time that the bullpen is faltering.
The noteworthy: Captain Kirk a.k.a Captain Clutch
Alejandro Kirk had two of the biggest hits of the weekend. On Wednesday he smashed a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning in a 3-1 Blue Jays win.
That homer left his bat at 106.7 miles per hour, making it his fourth-hardest hit of the season. He has a .280 batting average (which is third on the team among regular starters), but he’s got a .299 expected batting average, which indicates that he’s been slightly unlucky so far this year. He’s also has a hard-hit rate of 50.9%, which is the highest of his career.
Later in the week, Kirk came up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning of Saturday's contest against Detroit with the tying run on second base.
Kirk quickly got into an 0-2 but fought back to force a full count. In the ninth pitch of the at-bat, he poked one to right field to cash in the tying run. That hit swung the Win Probability by 25% in favor of the Blue Jays and set them up for a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth. Kirk is now slashing .471/.500/.529 in late and close game situations.
SAY HIS NAME AND HE APPEARS 🚀 pic.twitter.com/ut8nYvQQed
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 17, 2025
On deck: Tatis Jr. and company come to town
The Blue Jays have an off day on Monday to reset after a couple of tough series before welcoming in Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres to Rogers Centre.
The Padres have the second-best record in the NL West (27-18), but they're coming off a sweep at the hands of the Seattle Mariners.
After that three-game set, the Blue Jays finish the week in the Sunshine State for a three-game series against the Rays.