Toronto Blue Jays News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Turner had a three hit performance, Alejandro Kirk continued his hot streak, and more as the Blue Jays defeat the Yankees 8-1

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Brennan Delaney | Last updated 3/12/24

That’s now two straight wins for the Toronto Blue Jays!

On Tuesday afternoon, the Jays hosted the New York Yankees in Dunedin, defeating their division rival 8-1. Moreover, their record now moves to 8-9 along with a tie.

Let’s take a look at some things worth mentioning.

Things worth mentioning…

Justin Turner had his best game as a Blue Jay, as he went 3-3 with two RBIs to bring him to a .333 batting average for the season. All three hits were of the Brennan variety, this is to say they were all singles.

The Jays had trouble scoring with runners in scoring position last season, but clutch hitting is what Turner excels at. Last season in high-leverage, Turner hit .316 with three homers in 60 plate appearances. It wasn’t just a fluke either, as in his career, he has a .296 batting average in 607 high-leverage plate appearances.

Alejandro Kirk continued his hot Spring Training, as he had two singles with a runner driven in. He currently has three home runs this spring, which is the most for any Blue Jay batter. After missing most of the 2023 Spring Training, this is an encouraging start to his season.

Bo Bichette hit a single and was driven in twice. He already looks to be in mid-season form, as he’s batting .433 this spring.

The bats are heating up

We scored five runs on SIX hits in the 5th! pic.twitter.com/U8h3wypmaE

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 12, 2024

Daulton Varsho has also been impressive this Spring Training, as he hit two singles in three at bats while driving in two runners. This spring, he’s hitting .364 and just looks a lot better than last season. An off-season stance change has surely helped.

Santiago Espinal hit a double and went 1-2. Moreover, he picked up two RBIs and he’s slashing .200. Ernie Clement is ahead of him in the depth charts, but Espinal’s defensive skills can’t be discounted, as he made a nice stretch to record an out.

The dive by IKF ➡️ The stretch by Santi pic.twitter.com/9rd8lKw5dg

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 12, 2024

The other extra base hit on Tuesday came off the bat of George Springer, while the other RBI came off the bat of Kevin Kiermaier, who hit a single but struck out twice.

José Berríos had a good start, finishing with a line of 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3K. This Spring Training, he has a 1.08 ERA, which is a lot better than the Spring Training and World Baseball Classic he had to begin his 2023 season. Hopefully, it’s another season of good pitching from Berríos.

Connor Cooke continues to have a good spring, as he finished with a line of 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. He probably won’t start the season in the Blue Jays bullpen, but I’d give it a good chance that he’ll be called up at some point in 2024 if he can remain healthy. The stuff is just disgusting.

The Jays return to action on Wednesday, as they’ll host the Pittsburgh Pirates in Dunedin at 1:07 PM ET. Chris Bassitt is the expected starter for that game, and is opposed by 24-year-old Roansy Contreras. With a win, the Jays will move to .500, a nice goal to set after their pretty bad start.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: