In Flight: Blue Jays head home after grueling road trip

We're back for another year. This is the first edition of "In Flight" for the 2024 campaign as the Toronto Blue Jays look to break through and make some noise in the postseason for the first time since 2016. It promises to be an interesting season for the Blue Jays with no shortage of storylines to follow all year.

Moments that defined the stretch 👀

Schneider comes up clutch in Houston

It hasn't exactly been a banner start at the plate for the Blue Jays as they've struggled to score runs in the early going. Toronto ranks 22nd in runs scored (36) and 24th in OPS (.626) through 10 games. Trailing 1-0 in the ninth inning in the middle game of the series in Houston, Davis Schneider hit a two-run home run against All-Star closer Josh Hader, who allowed just three homers in 61 games last season.

Schneider's clutch homer gave the Blue Jays the lead and, ultimately, the win. The 25-year-old emerged as a surprising offensive force for the Blue Jays in the second half of the 2023 campaign and could be leaned on again to act as an offensive contributor this season.

Clement delivers off the bench

Ernie Clement earned a roster spot after a strong spring performance at the plate. The versatile Clement emerged as something of a spark plug so far this season and showcased that element of his game in a big moment at Yankee Stadium. In a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, manager John Schneider pinch hit Clement for Cavan Biggio against left-hander Caleb Ferguson.

Clement became the first Blue Jay to hit a go-ahead pinch-hit home run at Yankee Stadium since Rance Mulliniks in 1985, according to Sportsnet Stats. The 28-year-old was a bright spot in a 30-game stint with the Blue Jays last year, hitting .380 with an .885 OPS. Clement could be a factor in a multitude of roles for the Blue Jays all season.

Stats that tell the story

Although it's still early in the season, there have already been some interesting trends emerging for the Blue Jays through the first 10 games.

2: The Blue Jays mustered only two runs in a series loss to the Astros. That meek offensive performance included becoming the first team in modern MLB history to be the subject of a no-hitter and a one-hitter within the first seven games of a season, per Sportsnet Stats.

7.71: Chris Bassitt has struggled in his first two starts, dropping both outings while posting a 7.71 ERA and 2.14 WHIP. He's been victimized by hard contact, a .419 BABIP, and a 65.9% strand rate; both marks are well off his career norms. The veteran right-hander also struggled in the first month last season, amassing a 5.18 ERA in six April starts. He bounced back to finish 2023 with a 16-8 record and 3.60 ERA, reaching the 200-inning threshold for the first time in his career. Bassitt deserves the benefit of the doubt that his shaky start will be a blip on the radar when it's all said and done.

.596: It hasn't been a pretty start to the season for Bo Bichette. The All-Star shortstop has three doubles and is without a home run in 31 at-bats. Bichette has mustered a .596 OPS over eight games, though he closed the series against New York with three hits and three walks in the final two games. He's emerged as the engine of the entire lineup and will need to kick things into gear in short order if the Blue Jays are going to put their early-season offensive struggles behind them.

.197: The Blue Jays continue to struggle with runners in scoring position - a trend that dates back to last season. George Springer, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, and Clement are a combined 0-for-25 with RISP through the first 10 games of 2024.

They said what? 🍿

John Schneider after Blue Jays were no hit: "Give him credit, that's really hard to do. (At the same time), a no-hitter's an outlier, you know? I think we're going all right with where we hope to be in terms of what the offense is supposed to do. Tonight, it's just one of those nights. You give credit to a guy that does something really, really hard to accomplish. And a loss is still a loss. You move on."

Ernie Clement on clutch home run: "We're grinding. It's no secret that we're trying to push runs across. (Schneider) did it the other night; now I'm just glad that I could get a pitch to hit and give them a little boost."

Kevin Gausman on velocity dip during second start: "That's kind of the running joke, I'm 88 (mph) to 98 (mph). They don't know what they're going to get. I don't know what I'm going to get, either. I think it was just cold weather more than anything. My first two innings, if you're going to get to me, that's when you're going to get to me."

Rays manager Kevin Cash on Guerrero's 450-foot home run: "He got that one pretty good. I mean, he's a big guy. He can hit balls a long way."

Water cooler conversation 🗣️

Should Davis Schneider be in the lineup every day?

Schneider wasn't in the lineup the day after hitting that clutch homer against the Astros, sparking a lot of confusion among fans. The question is, should Schneider be an everyday player moving forward?

On the one hand, Schneider provides power, an element the Blue Jays could sorely use. He hit eight homers in 35 games with a 176 wRC+ last season. He provides the lineup with much more of a threat to do damage than somebody like Kiner-Falefa or even Biggio.

The biggest roadblock to Schneider emerging as an everyday option is his inconsistency against right-handed pitching. He struck out 27 times in 73 at-bats against right-handed pitching in 2023 and had issues getting on top of righties with good velocity. Schneider had a nearly 52% whiff rate against four-seam fastballs last season. He'll need to make some improvements against right-handers who throw hard if he wants to carve out more at-bats moving forward.

How concerning are Guerrero's early struggles?

It hasn't been a pretty start at the plate for Guerrero. The 25-year-old does have a pair of home runs and has been making a fair amount of hard contact but has also had far too many non-competitive at-bats where he expands the strike zone and makes poor swing decisions. The Blue Jays were betting on Guerrero to rebound after a disappointing 2023. The team simply can't reach its ceiling if Guerrero isn't able to find a level higher than he showed the past two seasons.

Down on the farm

Manoah struggles badly in rehab outing

Alek Manoah's 2023 was a disaster. There's no other way to put it. The 2022 AL Cy Young finalist came into spring training as a huge question mark and didn't do much to change that narrative after a shoulder issue popped up following a rough Grapefruit League debut. Manoah made his first rehab start for Single-A Dunedin, walking the first four batters he faced. He recorded just five outs, allowing seven runs.

"I don't care about the numbers," Manoah said following the outing. "I felt really good. Everything was coming out really good. I feel like we were around the zone for the most part. But I think the biggest thing is the body felt good, velo was good, (pitches had) movement. So, just got to continue to feel good and continue to attack."

With Bowden Francis struggling in the No. 5 spot in the rotation through his first two starts of the season, the door is wide-open for Manoah to reclaim his spot. But he needs to improve in a number of areas to put himself in that conversation anytime soon.

Rodriguez off to strong start in Buffalo

The Blue Jays invested a five-year, $32-million contract in Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez during the offseason after his excellent stint in Japan as a reliever. There was a lot of intrigue around what type of pitcher Rodriguez would be and what kind of role the Blue Jays envisioned for him. His numbers haven't been as strong as a starting pitcher, but the Blue Jays decided to stretch him out to begin the 2024 campaign.

Rodriguez appears to be rewarding that faith early on with a pair of strong outings for Triple-A Buffalo. The 27-year-old has racked up 10 strikeouts against three walks, allowing just one hit and zero runs over his first 6 1/3 innings. He looks more likely to start games for the Blue Jays than Manoah in the not-too-distant future.

Barriera suffers apparent injury

Left-hander Brandon Barriera was forced to exit his start on Saturday in the second inning after appearing to injure his arm while throwing a slider in the second inning.

Barriera, the Blue Jays' first-round pick in 2022, threw just 20 1/3 innings last season as he navigated injuries. He was sharp in that limited time, striking out 25 batters with a 3.98 ERA. The Blue Jays had visions of Barriera and top prospect Ricky Tiedemann leading the rotation into the future, so this is a development that could have long-term ramifications if it proves to be a serious injury.

What's next? 🛬

The Blue Jays return to the renovated Rogers Centre for their first home stand of the season against the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and New York Yankees.