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4 takeaways from the Blue Jays sweep of the Pirates

By Michael Fisher |
Toronto Blue Jays v Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays v Pittsburgh Pirates / Joe Sargent/GettyImages
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What a difference three days can make in the grind of a baseball season, as Toronto Blue Jays fans were once again reminded of this past weekend.

After the thoroughly miserable four-game shellacking at the hands of the division rival Boston Red Sox, in which the Jays certainly didn't put their best foot forward, the general mood among the fanbase could be described as gloomy.

Following their three-game sweep of the NL Central-leading Pittsburgh Pirates, things suddenly look a whole lot better for the Jays and their fans, who were ready to hit the early-season panic button just mere days ago.

So, what can we take away from the team's weekend romp through PNC Park?

Takeaway #1: The Blue Jays can win without Guerrero Jr.

When the news came out that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was dealing with a sore wrist and would miss Saturday's game, there was an obvious concern for his health and what a lineup without Guerrero would like, both in the short and long term. After all, Guerrero is slashing .318/.389/.530 this season, with seven home runs, 23 runs scored and 21 RBI. That kind of production is hard to replace.

Despite being a similar issue to what he dealt with and played through last season, per Sportsnet's Shi Davidi, there was enough soreness to keep him out of the final two games of the weekend series.

As it turns out, there's not much to worry about, at least for the time being.

After taking the series opener 4-0, with Guerrero contributing one hit and an RBI, the Jays lineup didn't miss a beat on Saturday with the former MVP runner-up watching from the sidelines. Thanks to contributions from up and down the lineup, they jumped all over Pirates' starter Johan Oviedo, scoring four in the first inning en route to a convincing 8-2 victory.

Sunday was more of the same. Whit Merrifield's third-inning three-run home run broke the game open, Jordan Romano showed his mettle in escaping a bases-loaded situation in the eighth, and then a five-run ninth-inning sealed the 10-1 win and three-game sweep.

Blue Jays hitters racked up 18 runs on 29 hits without Vladdy. Most importantly, they got contributions from the bottom of the lineup, not just the big boys up top — the six-seven-eight-nine hitters chipped in 14 hits and 13 RBI in the two games.

While it's impossible to replace a Vladimir Guerrero Jr., if the two games without their everyday first baseman are any indication, this team is deep enough, both at the plate and in the field, to survive an absence like this.

Next: Daulton Varsho and Brandon Belt are going to be okay

Takeaway #2: Daulton Varsho wins the trade

After a solid start to his Blue Jays career, Daulton Varsho had been mired in a two-and-a-half-week slump. His 8-for-66 (.121) stretch had fans wondering if the Diamondbacks had bamboozled the Jays in the Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno trade.

Despite being one of the few bright spots from the otherwise miserable Boston series, fans were waiting to see if Varsho would continue his sudden turnaround at the plate against the Pirates. He didn't disappoint.

Varsho hit safely in all three games over the weekend, going 5-for-13 with two doubles, a stolen base and four RBI. In Sunday's finale, he put the game out of reach and capped off his weekend with a 413-foot blast into the Allegheny River.

The dynamic outfielder has been terrorizing pitchers during his six-game hit streak, batting a scorching .458 with a 1.420 OPS. He has three home runs and has driven in nine while only striking out 7.7% of the time, a much-improved rate from his previous 24.6% clip.

Hopefully, his performance in Pittsburgh has helped alleviate any concerns that had been growing about Varsho's addition to the team.

Takeaway #3: Brandon Belt's not washed up

Heading into the Pittsburgh series hitting a paltry .172, Brandon Belt's ice-cold start to the season had been disappointing, to say the least. Aside from a couple of promising glimpses early in Belt's Blue Jays tenure, it looked like the front office had taken a big swing and a miss, much like Belt has been so far, with the one-year signing.

In his two games against the Pirates, with his timing seemingly locked in, the 12-year-veteran went 5-for-7 with four hard-hit balls. He counted three doubles, two RBI and five runs scored. Plus, he only had two strikeouts, one of which was so poorly called that Belt got himself tossed for suggesting the home plate umpire be better at his job.

If his two-game performance at PNC Park isn't enough to get you on the Belt bandwagon, look at his last 10 games. Before his outburst at the plate this weekend, he had already been starting to turn things around, hitting a solid .313 with a .937 OPS over that span.

At the very least, Belt has bought himself some leeway to continue getting regular at-bats and should be able to start chipping away at his 41.3% strikeout rate while continuing to help the bottom of the order contribute.

Next: Have José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi earned your trust?

Takeaway #4: José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi are for real

Even if you still don't fully trust them, José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi showed enough in their bouncebacks against the Pirates this weekend that at least you can avoid breaking into a cold sweat every time the oft-beleaguered starters take the ball.

The two wild cards of the starting rotation, and possibly the entire roster, showed that despite hitting a speed bump in Boston, they are ready to be reliable contributors on what still could turn out to be one of the top rotations in baseball.

While Kikuchi has had a couple of rough outings with some bad luck involved, his other five starts, including Sunday's gem, have been stellar.

The 31-year-old pitched into the seventh on Sunday, scattering four hits and keeping the Pirates off the scoresheet through 6 1/3 innings. It's the fifth time he has gone five-plus innings this year, with no more than four hits in each outing and only three combined runs given up.

The lefty isn't striking out as many batters as in previous years, but in an encouraging sign that his offseason work is paying off, his 5.2% walk rate is the lowest of his career and well below the 12.8% he struggled to last year.

Kikuchi leads Blue Jays starters with a 3.35 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He's tied for second in the majors with five wins, with the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Gerrit Cole. He also leads all starting pitchers with an incredible 92% LOB (Left on Base) rate.

José Berríos, with his five-hit, two-run, seven-strikeout performance against the Pirates on Saturday, has given the Jays a quality start in three of his last four outings (you can argue he would have had a quality start against the Rays in April before he took the comebacker off his leg in the fifth inning).

It's encouraging that his K/9 rate is back over a strikeout per inning, and his improved 11.8% swinging strike rate and 31.1% called-and-swinging strike rate look more like his numbers from some of his best years in Minnesota.

The 28-year-old has also featured better command this season, which shows up in his career-best 4.8 percent walk rate. His 4.79 ERA, still inflated from his disastrous season debut against the Royals, should continue to improve as he pitches closer to his 3.28 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching).

Admittedly, it may take more time for fans to trust Berríos and Kikuchi, but now seven starts into the season, and after strong performances in Pittsburgh, they have shown they are different pitchers than last year.

We'll have to see how they handle one of the top offenses in baseball when the Jays play host to the high-flying Atlanta Braves this week, but for now, breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the early returns after a successful weekend.

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