Blue Jays didn't rely on explosive offense to ruin the Yankees Opener

Today, the Blue Jays didn't light up former teammate Marcus Stroman at Yankee Stadium. However, following adjustments to the lineup, they managed to do just enough to squeak out a win and ruin the Yankees' home opener.

It's been no secret that there were some serious concerns about their struggling offense on Friday. However, bolstered by a strong outing on the mound, some new Blue Jays managed to make an impact,


Ernie Clement entered the game off the bench in the seventh inning and absolutely crushed a Caleb Ferguson fastball 407 feet to left field, securing his first home run of the season. This key RBI proved decisive in their 3-0 victory, which leveled the Blue Jays' record to 4-4. The other two runs were scored in the ninth-inning by a means of wild pitches by right-hander Nick Burdi.

On Friday, there were significant changes in the bottom of the lineup, Daulton Varsho, who has been really struggling after a strong spring, has only 3 hits in 21 at-bats. He was moved down from the fifth spot to eighth, while catcher Alejandro Kirk, with only 2 hits in 21 at-bats before this game, was shifted from the sixth to seventh spot. Meanwhile, Cavan Biggio, boasting a .333 on-base percentage, which ranked fourth on the team, moved up from ninth to sixth in the batting order, proving that manager John Shneider can actually reward a player for their performances.

The lineup changes paid off, as Kirk and Varsho combined for four hits (three by Kirk). The Jays only combined for 7 hors and only got their first run in the 7th inning, it was thanks to Kikuchi on the mound, where the offense wasn't needed to be electric, though, offensive concerns are still prevalent.

Source: Toronto Star - Why the Blue Jays didn't need earth-shaking offence to spoil the Yankees' home opener