The Toronto Blue Jays finally added a missing ingredient to their offence — sustaining it will be key

Could the Toronto Blue Jays be waking up?

Toronto has had a rocky start to 2026, to say the least. However, after snapping a four-game losing streak on Sunday, the Blue Jays have looked a little bit more like themselves in their last two games.

The Blue Jays had a much-needed explosive start to Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Toronto started the game with seven straight hits off of starter Ryne Nelson. By the end of the first, the Blue Jays had tied a franchise record with eight runs. The Blue Jays added two more over the next eight innings, beating the Diamondbacks 10-4.

The first-inning barrage was exactly what the Blue Jays needed after a slow offensive start to 2026. The eight runs in the first inning were more than the Blue Jays had scored in total during their four-game slide. Toronto also tied its season high for runs in a game.

For what seems like the first time this season, the Blue Jays were able to string hits together and capitalize on their opportunities. Last year, the Blue Jays had the highest batting average with the bases loaded (.386). That hasn't been the case in 2026. Kazuma Okamoto's three-run double in the first inning snapped a 1-for-20 run for the Blue Jays with the bases loaded.

The Blue Jays followed Sunday's win up with a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night. While they weren't able to match their production from the day before, they found a way to get the job done. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his second home run of the season and extended his hit streak to 11 games. Lenyn Sosa hit a go-ahead sac-fly. Tyler Heineman had two sac bunts, which both led to runs.

Blue Jays on the verge of turning around their slow start

Despite dropping four straight games going into Sunday, there were signs that the Blue Jays' offence might be waking up. On Saturday, they outhit the Diamondbacks 12-8, but lost 6-2. During their losing streak, they averaged over seven hits per game (7.75). The Blue Jays were able to get hits, but they struggled to cash them in.

The problem for the Blue Jays hasn't been a lack of opportunity, but a lack of follow-through. Toronto is tied for sixth in at-bats with the bases loaded in 2026, with 24. However, they ranked 28th in batting averages (.125).

The numbers with runners in scoring position aren't quite so egregious, but still show that the Blue Jays aren't making the most of their opportunities compared to last season. They rank 20th in batting average (.231) and 24th in RBIs (56) with runners in scoring position. In 2025, they had the highest average with runners in scoring position (.292) and the second most RBIs (559).

On top of Sunday's first-inning explosion, the weekend showed positive signs for a couple of struggling Blue Jays. Nathan Lukes had a disastrous start to the season. Before the series against the Diamondbacks, Lukes had gone 3-for-32 with a .065/.118/.065 slash line. However, the Blue Jays announced that Lukes had been dealing with vertigo since spring training. After being cleared by the team's medical staff, Lukes has looked a lot more like himself.

He had back-to-back three-hit games over the weekend, including two hits in the first inning on Sunday. If that's a sign of things to come for Lukes, that's a great sign for the Blue Jays' offence. On Monday, he had an RBI single in the seventh inning.

After a six-game hit streak to start his MLB career, Kazuma Okamoto had just six hits in his next 41 at-bats. Like Lukes, the series against the Diamondbacks seemed to see Okamoto breaking his slump. He went 2-for-4 on Saturday, including a game-tying RBI in the sixth inning. He went 2-for-4 again on Sunday, including an RBI double in the first inning and a solo home run in the third inning. He did, however, struggle more on Monday night, going 0-for-3.

While the Blue Jays still have a hole to dig themselves out of, they've looked much more competitive in their last few games. They're finding ways to manufacture runs and capitalize on their opportunities. On top of that, one thing they've carried over from 2025 is a low strikeout rate. The Blue Jays have the fewest strikeouts in MLB this season (146). There's still a long way to go, but these Blue Jays look a little more familiar.

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