The Blue Jays needed this one, and they got it. Toronto beat the Guardians 6-3 in Cleveland to take the series, and with it, a real foothold in the AL Wild Card race. They're 70-71 now, just a half-game back of the final spot, and they've got the tiebreaker over Cleveland after going 4-2 against them this season.
#BlueJays win, 6-3. A massive series win in Cleveland. They now hold the tiebreaker (4-2) over the Guardians and are just a half-game back of the Wild Card. They’re 70-71 and off to Kansas City.
Toronto's been rolling lately, having won 5 of their last 6, and this series win in a hostile building against a fellow contender is exactly the kind of thing you point to when you're building a playoff case in early September. Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee did his part to help them along, too. He walked five, tying a career high, over 4 2/3 innings, allowing 5 runs on 4 hits. The loss was his 15th of the season, a league-leading total, and he's now 1-6 since late July.
Tanner Bibee's 2Ks in the 2nd.
That effectiveness didn't last. The wheels came off in the fifth, when the Blue Jays strung together a four-run inning to flip the game. With the bases loaded, Nathan Lukes ripped a two-run double into the corner that chased Bibee from the game and gave Toronto the lead for good. Rookie Brett Bateman chipped in three hits on the night, and closer Louis Varland slammed the door with his 32nd save, striking out Angel Genao with runners on in the ninth.
Here's the high view of that Nathan Lukes double into the corner, which should have scored Brandon Valenzuela. #BlueJays t.co/Woky7hB9GP
It wasn't Toronto's cleanest series defensively — beat reporter Keegan Matheson noted some of the fielding on both sides was rough to watch — but the Jays kept coming up with the bigger swings when it counted, and let Cleveland beat itself often enough to make the difference. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got in on the fun too, flipping his bat after drawing a walk in the fourth inning before later driving in a run, the kind of swagger moment that gets your dugout going even when it's just a free pass.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is feeling himself. We've got a walk bat flip in Cleveland. #BlueJays t.co/dTrgHkJwVC
A half-game is nothing in September — Toronto could be tied or ahead of Cleveland by the time either team plays again. But taking the season series and holding the tiebreaker matters a lot if these two are still jockeying for the same spot in the final week. The Blue Jays hit the road for Kansas City next, with Jameson Taillon (2-6, 5.68 ERA) lined up to start Friday. No time to exhale.