The coaching staff for the Toronto Blue Jays explained why the team has made such a surprising season turnaround.
Don’t look now, but the Blue Jays are just 1 GB from the third and final American League Wild Card spot, which is currently held by the Detroit Tigers. Considering the team seemed completely dead in the water just a few weeks ago, which led to them trading away former ace Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs at the MLB trade deadline, the ballclub’s incredible turnaround has been both exciting and surprising to see.
With a 60-64 record, the Blue Jays still have some work to do to get back to .500. But with the way the team has been looking as of late, there is real optimism in the air around the city right now that Toronto can actually make a playoff run again, something that seemed completely out of reach not long ago.
John Schneider Explains Blue Jays Hot Streak
The maestro in control of Toronto’s lineup card, Blue Jays manager John Schneider, explained what he has observed as to why he thinks the team has been performing so strongly lately.
“A lot of contact with the top of the order, we’re playing good defence right now and I feel like those two things are important against this team. You have to kind of force the issue a little bit when you are on offence and you’ve got to take care of the ball and not give up extra baserunners. They’re kind of built around walks and home runs, so I like the way we’re playing. They know every game is important and I think that we always match up pretty well against this team and the brand that we’re playing right now adds up really well,” Schneider said (via Sportsnet).
David Popkins Comments on Blue Jays’ Strong Play
The Blue Jays’ hitting coach, David Popkins, also shared his insight into why he thinks the team has turned its season around.
“What I’m watching, we’re taking a lot of team-oriented at-bats. I’m not seeing as many at-bats that it looks like they don’t have the situation or the pitcher in context from the swings. … We’re not trying to force things, just letting the game come to us a little bit. Ironically, I think the longer we do that, I think we’ll actually hit more home runs than we have. For now, it just seems like we’re trying to win every game and the numbers are just part of it. It feels like the playoffs, honestly. Every game’s on the line and the guys are really working together as a team. The energy’s been so much different than the whole season, so it’s been refreshing,” Popkins said.
The Blue Jays are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are coming off a big series win over their American East division rivals, the Boston Red Sox. They took a big game against the New York Yankees on Friday at home, and will now look to win the series against New York and move closer to a playoff spot.
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