The Blue Jays needed more than a win Thursday. They needed a jolt.
They got one in a 3-1 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, a result that stopped a bid for a four-game sweep and, at least for a night, brought back a little of the edge that has been missing since the all-star break and, really, even before that. It was only the second win of the week for the Jays, and neither of those victories came with much help from the bats around them.
That’s part of why the mood around this one mattered. The result itself is not likely to alter the sense that the club may still be leaning toward selling before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but it did give the clubhouse a reason to believe 2026 might not already be a lost cause.
“Today we played a complete game,” veteran Blue Jay George Springer said. “We pitched. We got guys on, over, and in and we caught the ball, so it was a good day for us, but it’s on to (Friday in Boston) and that’s against another extremely good team.”
The kind of baseball Springer was talking about showed up in the first inning, in a sequence that fit the tone of the whole afternoon. With Ernie Clement on second and Springer on first and two outs, Alejandro Kirk chopped an excuse-me dribbler down the third-base line. Rays all-star third baseman Junior Caminero charged hard, but the ball went off his glove, bounced behind him and rolled into foul territory.
Clement saw the opening and took it immediately, sprinting home without a throw. Springer kept moving too, rounding second and then taking third just ahead of Caminero’s throw after the ball was recovered.
“That’s a great example of guys doing what we need to do to help us win,” Springer said. “To play with your hair on fire, leave nothing in the tank, is kind of what I think everyone knows has to happen for us, and that’s a good example of it.”
The defense backed up that attitude throughout the game. Kazuma Okamoto ranged to his left to take away would-be singles, while Clement handled line drives and then fired the ball to first with the kind of quick, accurate release that has become one of his trademarks.
“I think guys understand what’s at stake and what we have to do as a team. It starts in the field,” Springer said.
“It gives us a chance offensively to kind of do what we know how to do, grind out at bats and to fight. It also helps the guy on the mound, so just a big win for us today and it’s on to tomorrow.
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Rays Suddenly Linked To The Kind Of Deadline Move Fans Crave
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It is the sort of speculation that fits a team with a strong starting rotation and a history of at least exploring ambitious moves when the fit is right. The pitcher at the center of the chatter has also reminded everyone why he would draw so much attention, turning in a dominant outing shortly after returning from an elbow procedure, which only adds to the intrigue as the deadline picture starts to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]