Clement’s triple – Clement delivered a three-run homer and his first triple as the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back with a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles, sparking an offense that’s been searching for consistent extra-base hits. The victory also came with bullpen rotation pres
When the Blue Jays were staring at another thin stretch of offense. Clement took matters into his own hands with a hanging slider turned into real distance. The result was Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles—and a reminder that this lineup can still swing the kind of swing that changes innings.
Clement, known for a gifted glove around the infield and remarkable contact skills, provided the extra punch the Blue Jays have been looking for. He drove in three runs with a crucial three-run homer and added his first triple of the season in the victory.
His production has come with numbers the Blue Jays have leaned on. Clement has 19 doubles to pair with six homers among a team-high 76 hits. and his .464 slugging percentage leads Toronto — just ahead of Brandon Valenzuela’s .456. Valenzuela doubled twice. cashed in Clement’s triple with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. and helped keep the momentum where it belonged.
That mattered because Toronto’s offensive plans have been balancing both performance and availability. George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were expected to help carry the load. and Daulton Varsho was not in the starting lineup on Saturday due to left wrist soreness. With key pieces needing to stay healthy. moments like Clement’s don’t just pad a box score—they settle the rhythm.
The sequence began to tilt in Toronto’s favor in the first half of the game. After a Guerrero walk and a Jesus Sanchez single, Clement’s line-up pressure turned into a 4-1 lead when Kyle Bradish left a hanging slider in the wrong spot and the ball cleared the wall in left field.
The Blue Jays know they can still grind out runs when they connect on quality contact—just as they did Thursday in a 7-2 win over Atlanta ace Chris Sale—but Saturday also showed how hard it is to pile up extra-base impact on a continuous basis without landing the kinds of swings that flip the leverage of an at-bat.
Behind Clement’s production, the pitching staff faced its own shifting demands as the game unfolded through the bullpen chessboard.
Braydon Fisher started the latest Blue Jays bullpen game as an opener for the fourth time this season. and the organization’s plan for that setup could be nearing its end. While nothing was finalized. John Schneider said Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer “getting the pitch count where they did” during rehab outings at triple-A Buffalo. combined with “where their stuff was. ” means that “if the next couple of days go all right. their next (starts) could be with us.”.
Cease is eligible to be activated from the injured list Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies, when one rotation vacancy opens. Scherzer could then slot into the next opening for Friday’s series against the New York Yankees. If the Blue Jays want to keep Scherzer on four days’ rest. Toronto could potentially line him up Wednesday against the Phillies. pushing Trey Yesavage back to Friday—an adjustment that would give Yesavage two extra days.
In the middle of that rotation reality, the bullpen workload has been heavy. Tommy Nance could rejoin the Blue Jays as soon as Sunday, which would add another fresh arm as the relief corps entered Saturday ranked fifth in the majors at 269.2 innings logged.
Mason Fluharty made his big-league leading 35th appearance when he pitched the seventh, with Fisher right behind at 34. Fluharty’s had three outings as an opener, and Adam Macko has also opened once, but the makeshift staffing is likely to change if Cease and Scherzer return.
Toronto also got a standout response from Spencer Miles, who rebounded after being roughed up by the Orioles last Sunday. Saturday, Miles allowed two runs in 4.1 innings and struck out five in his latest bulk outing.
He took over from Fisher in the second and carried the Blue Jays into the sixth. leaving with one out and one on. holding a 6-1 lead. The second run against him came in the sixth on Pete Alonso’s two-run homer off Jeff Hoffman. lifting the tension in the late innings—but it wasn’t enough to steal the game back.
That inning push also moved Miles’ season workload to 40.2 innings logged, largely built through six starts/bulk outings over 17 games. The Blue Jays have asked a lot from the Rule 5 pick, and a return to a full rotation would allow the club to spread his workload as needed.
Clement’s big day didn’t just keep the win on the right side of the scoreboard—it offered a clearer picture of how Toronto can separate itself when the swing is there. And as the calendar turns toward possible Cease and Scherzer returns. the most immediate question for the Blue Jays becomes the same one they’ve been answering all season: when the lineup needs one knockout hit. who provides it next?.
Toronto Blue Jays Baltimore Orioles Clement Brandon Valenzuela Dylan Cease Max Scherzer Spencer Miles Braydon Fisher Mason Fluharty Pete Alonso Kyle Bradish Vlad Guerrero Jr George Springer Daulton Varsho Trey Yesavage
Clement really just be out here swinging like that??
So Blue Jays won 6-4 because of one triple and a homer? That sounds like everything else in their lineup must’ve been sleeping lol. Also Varsho not starting from wrist soreness… that’s probably why they struggled with extra-base hits before.
I don’t get it, didn’t Clement only play defense? Like the article says he’s a gifted glove and contact skills but then he hit a three-run homer. Guess that’s baseball for you. Orioles pitching must’ve been terrible if a hanging slider turned into all that.
The funniest part is they said Toronto was searching for consistent extra-base hits and then Clement shows up and boom, slugging percentage and all that. But isn’t slugging like… extra runs somehow? Also I keep thinking Springer and Vlad were supposed to carry the load, but Varsho being out makes it sound like the whole offense was off balance. Idk I just like when teams win close games 6-4.