BALTIMORE — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stood at second base, clenched his fists and let out a roar that expelled what’s seemed like weeks of frustration.
The struggling superstar had just laced a double into left field that scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the Toronto Blue Jays’ dramatic, comeback, 6-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
A 110.1-m.p.h. missile off a Yennier Cano fastball in the eighth inning was the type of hit that Guerrero Jr. had been searching for. It was easily his most important contribution in some time.
Just how important was it?
“It was not just that double,” Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “It was that I could do something to help my team win the game.”
Guerrero Jr.’s issues this year have been well-documented. After smashing eight home runs in 18 post-season contests, he has just three across 56 games this season. He’s barreling the ball at the lowest rate (6.9 per cent) of his career, while chasing more than ever (31 per cent). Guerrero Jr. entered the day hitting .198/.327/.235 in May.
However, you never have to peek at his numbers to see if Guerrero Jr. is struggling. He’ll inform you via body language, whether it’s frustratedly tossing his equipment following a strikeout or taking weak, non-competitive swings on 3-0 pitches as he has recently.
On Friday, though, the 27-year-old’s body language was far more positive.
“It’s a big swing for him against a really tough reliever,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Yeah, that’s Vlad right there.”
With the win, the 29-29 Blue Jays improved to .500 for the first time since April 4. They’ve won four straight and eight of their last 10.
“To be honest with you, I’ve never paid attention to that .500 — if we’re over, if we’re under,” said Guerrero Jr. “The only thing I know is if we’re winning games, that means we’re doing good.”
Guerrero Jr. wasn’t alone in his heroics on Friday. The Blue Jays trailed 5-0 entering the seventh inning before a barrage of big hits lifted the team up off the mat.
Guerrero Jr. led off that frame with a single and Kazuma Okamoto followed with a two-run homer off Orioles starter Trevor Rogers. Then, Daulton Varsho doubled and was cashed in by Charles McAdoo’s two-run, opposite-field shot.
The homer was McAdoo’s first hit in what was his major-league debut.
“My heart dropped as soon as I hit it because I was like, ‘It has a chance. It has a chance,’” McAdoo said. “And then I saw it clear the wall.”
The 24-year-old infielder, called up from triple-A on Thursday when Lenyn Sosa hit the injured list, had his mother in the crowd, along with a college coach and trainer and teammates from his high school baseball and football teams.
“My heart was beating pretty fast the majority of the day,” said McAdoo, who hails from San Jose, Calif. “But after that first swing, kind of just settled down and realized and remembered that it was just a game I’ve been playing since I was young.”
Adam Macko started for the Blue Jays in the club’s first of two bullpen games in three days, with the next coming Sunday. Macko pitched into the second inning and was relieved by right-hander Austin Voth, who surrendered three homers and four walks to the Orioles, resulting in a 5-0 deficit.
The Blue Jays were down their three best relievers on Friday, with Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman and Tyler Rogers each pitching the past two days. That left an opportunity for other members of the relief corps to step up and Mason Fluharty and Braydon Fisher, in particular, answered the call.
Fluharty shut down the O’s in the eighth inning while Fisher delivered a scoreless ninth to collect his first MLB save.
“That was a big win,” said Schneider. “That was a total team effort.”
Guerrero Jr. also pointed to the victory being a collective effort. When it comes to his own game, the slugger recently revealed he’s searching for one clean swing that he feels will set him right.
Asked if he found that in the eighth inning on Friday, Guerrero Jr. wasn’t ready to commit.
“Not yet, not yet,” he answered. “Whenever I feel that’s there, I will let you guys know, but not yet.”
