‘A complete game’ performance is a small boost to Blue Jays’ optimism

The Jays defence was tested time and again, but made the plays

Published Jul 23, 2026  •  Last updated 6 minutes ago  •  5 minute read

George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays hits an RBI single against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on July 23, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Mark Blinch /Getty Images

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For the second time this week, the Blue Jays won a Shane Bieber start.

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That’s the good news.

The bad news is those were the only two wins the Jays have had this week, and neither came with anything in the way of an offensive outburst by his teammates.

Bieber was on the right side of a 1-0 decision Saturday against the Chicago White Sox, and Thursday was the recipient of three glorious runs of support, the kind of support a Jays pitcher has had only once in the past six contests, on his way to a 3-1 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

It denied the Rays a shot at a four-game sweep on enemy turf but more importantly gave the Jays some of that swagger back that has been noticeably absent since the team returned from the all-star break and, really, even before that..

The outcome alone is highly unlikely to change a believed lean towards being sellers approaching the Aug. 3 trade deadline, but it has sparked at least some hope within the clubhouse that 2026 isn’t a lost cause just yet.

“Today we played a complete game,” veteran Blue Jay George Springer said. “We pitched. We got guys on, over, and in and we caught the ball, so it was a good day for us, but it’s on to (Friday in Boston) and that’s against another extremely good team.”

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A moment in Thursday’s game encapsulates the exact approach the Jays are going to need if there is to be one more run to establish at least an argument not to wave the flag and start selling off veterans on expiring contracts such as Kevin Gausman and Bieber.

It came in the Jays’ first inning, with Ernie Clement on second and Springer on first with two out. An excuse-me dribbler struck by Alejandro Kirk down the third-base line had Rays all-star third baseman Junior Caminero charging in hard on the slow-bouncing ball that wound up going off his glove and just behind him and into foul territory.

Clement was just past the third-base bag with the play happening right in front of him and seeing a chance to score, Clement didn’t hesitate, charging past a retreating Caminero and sliding across the plate without a throw.

Behind him, Springer was rounding second base, and made the same aggressive decision to take the extra base and slid into third just ahead of the throw from Caminero, who had by that time retrieved the ball in foul territory.

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“That’s a great example of guys doing what we need to do to help us win,” Springer said. “To play with your hair on fire, leave nothing in the tank, is kind of what I think everyone knows has to happen for us, and that’s a good example of it.”

Springer was stranded at third base, but that kind of play from two mainstays in the Blue Jays lineup set the tone for the rest of the game.

The other positive development was some of the best and most consistent defensive play we’ve seen from this team in quite some time.

Whether it was Kazuma Okamoto ranging well to his left to snag would-be singles, or Clement knocking down line drives and then using his uncanny ability to deliver the ball to first with speed and accuracy with just the flick of his wrist, all the plays were being made.

Myles Straw tracked a ball down at the centre-field wall to steal extra bases from Jonathan Aranda. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who continues to struggle at the plate, did not let that keep him from making two gold-glove worthy plays at first base.

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The Jays defence was tested time and again by an aggressive and well-practiced Rays team, and each and every time the play that needed to be made was made.

George Springer of the Toronto Blue Jays gets doused in a sports drink following his team’s win over the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre on July 23, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Mark Blinch /Getty Images

“I think guys understand what’s at stake and what we have to do as a team. It starts in the field,” Springer said. “It gives us a chance offensively to kind of do what we know how to do, grind out at bats and to fight. It also helps the guy on the mound, so just a big win for us today and it’s on to tomorrow.

Springer has been around this game long enough to know exactly the situation the Jays have put themselves in, but until the selloffs begin, neither he nor any of his teammates are willing to wave the white flag of surrender.

“At this point it’s just go play,” Springer said. “Do anything that you can to win the game. I think everyone understands where we are and what’s at stake, but at the end of the day you don’t want to press. You have to play free and you can’t be afraid to fail. Just go out there and play with your hair on fire and we’ll see what happens.”

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You can make the argument that the schedule is in fact helping the Jays as they head into these final games before the trading frenzy begins.

You can also make the argument the schedule is anything but friendly right now.

Next up for the Jays are three games at Fenway Park, where the Blue Jays have played some of their best baseball this season.

The counter to that argument is the Red Sox are right now the hottest team in baseball having won 15 in a row until dropping the back half of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

Still, that’s 15 wins in 16 games. The Jays could be walking into a hornet’s nest.

But if they can replicate some of Thursday’s progress and maybe take another bit of a step forward offensively, who knows what can happen?

“They’re obviously on a great run and on a tear but all we can do is focus on what’s in front of us and play each game like it’s our last,” Bieber said. “Just go out there and win ball games and let the chips fall where they may.”

The Jays will send Trey Yesavage, Dylan Cease and Gausman up against the Red Sox this weekend. The Sox will counter with Patrick Sandoval and Sonny Gray, with their Sunday starter yet to be announced.

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