Vlad Jr.’s sublime hitting can’t rescue Blue Jays in loss

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With every home run he launches, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continues to raise his stock which any shrewd investor would gladly pony up for.

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He’s unquestionably the Blue Jays’ franchise face and a box-office attraction when so many will concede the team isn’t good.
Vladdy’s visits to the Big Apple have an added layer, thanks to his earlier stance to never sign with the Yankees and later by back-pedalling a somewhat softer position. When it comes to the business of baseball, it makes no sense, after all, to eliminate any potential suitor, especially one such as the Yankees given their immense clout and deep pockets.

Guerrero is under control with the Blue Jays for one more season beyond 2024. In other words, the clock is ticking.

With the trade deadline having come and gone, Vladdy will be the main Blue Jays story moving forward until an extension is negotiated or, absolute worst case, the organization feels it has to move on from him.

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The Jays slugger, in the meantime, continues to underline his importance to the team.

On Saturday at Yankee Stadium, Guerrero sent a first-inning Carlos Rodon breaking ball 417 feet over the centre-field wall for his 22nd home run of the season.

The Jays, though, were unable to build off the early blast. Aaron Judge’s two-run homer off Jose Berrios in the bottom of the first propelled the Yankees to an 8-3 victory, setting up a highly anticipated rubber match on Sunday afternoon.

No pitch, no pitcher, no ballpark, count or circumstance these days seem capable of neutralizing Vladdy, who has turned into a tour de force.

After his 3-for-4 effort on Saturday, he is now working on a 16-game hit streak which has raised his batting average from .288 when it began to .318. He also has eight homers in that span.

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Off in the distance the sound of a Brinks truck warming up its engines can be heard.

It seems almost absurd for the Jays not to keep Guerrero around for the next decade or so. But wanting to keep a star player is one thing, negotiating a lucrative deal is quite another.

Clearly, he can’t do it alone and more power bats are required to put around him. Judge and the Yankees got that support with Trent Grisham’s two-run homer in the second inning and Anthony Volpe’s solo shot in the fifth — both off Berrios — pushing the home side to a 6-1 lead.

The three homers Berrios surrendered increased his season total to 25 in 23 starts, the same number he yielded last season when he made 32 starts.

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BAD IDEA

After reaching the 100-pitch count in the top of the sixth, Rodon reacted angrily when manager Aaron Boone walked to the mound knowing Guerrero was up next with a runner at first.

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Rodon wanted the challenge of facing Vladdy who had singled in his second at-bat. He should have known better and Boone should have gone with his initial instinct to lift him. With the count full, Guerrero doubled into right field.

Then came Boone’s second walk to the mound as Rodon’s day had officially ended.

Alejandro Kirk then jumped all over the first pitch he saw from reliever Jake Cousins, sending it into right field for a two-run single to cut the deficit to 6-3.

It was the first Jays hit of the day from someone other than Vladdy.

The Jays did punch out three hits in the ninth inning to load the bases after recording five hits through the first eight innings.

That forced Boone to summon closer Clay Holmes from the bullpen. He struck out George Springer to record a one-out save.

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PLAYING HURT

Springer, who took a foul tip off his left shin Friday night, was wearing a protective guard as was Kirk, who was hit by a pitch to his left elbow in Baltimore.

Kirk batted cleanup in the order and was behind home plate after Brian Serven had a two-hit game Friday night.
Springer served as DH with Steward Berroa, in right field.

In centre field was Joey Loperfido while Davis Schneider started in left as the new-look Blue Jays continue their two-month auditions.

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