Guerrero Jr. looks like himself again as Blue Jays win big over Guardians

CLEVELAND — Finally, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got under one and hit it a long way.

Beside home plate at Progressive Field, Guerrero Jr. stood and watched as the ball soared down the left-field line. It stayed fair, clearing the wall by a wide margin, and Guerrero Jr. could begin his first home run trot in nearly a month.

More importantly, the three-run homer gave the Blue Jays a 6-0 lead and some reason for optimism as they push for the playoffs. That swing — one of three big ones for Guerrero Jr. Wednesday — helped the Blue Jays beat the Guardians 11-0 and climb back to within 1.5 games of Cleveland in the American League wild-card standings.

Dylan Cease lowered his season ERA to 2.25 with six innings of scoreless baseball, and Josh Smith added a solo home run in the eighth as the Blue Jays improved to 69-71 on the season, but this game was all about Guerrero Jr.

In a season of many lows for the 27-year-old, this game was a high point. To this point, the production just hasn’t been there — and ultimately, he’s accountable for those results. Within the last week, he’s heard boos at Rogers Centre.

Still, that doesn’t mean it’s been easy for Guerrero Jr. Midway through the season, he tried to work his way out of the slump, taking upwards of 300 swings per day. Later, he opted for rest, skipping the All-Star Game to help with lingering back and hamstring soreness.

All the while, the questions about his performance intensified. That’s part of the job at this level — but in ways it’s a new challenge for Guerrero Jr., who has never struggled like this before. Along the way, he’s had to learn new ways to handle these struggles.

“He talks to his teammates about it,” manager John Schneider said recently. “He's open about it.”

And the way Schneider sees it, the more Guerrero Jr. talks to his teammates about it, the better. They’re all pulling for him. They all respect him. Lean into it.

“And Vlad's good at lying,” Schneider continued. “He's good at saying, ‘No, I'm good.’ And you have to keep asking and break down that wall a little bit.”

“He's way more honest with me and the guys than probably he leads on to the media,” Schneider said. “But yeah, he's frustrated for sure. (And) he's more aware of it probably than you guys know.”

If so, the swings Guerrero Jr. took Wednesday must have offered him plenty of relief. Along with the no-doubt home run, he contributed an RBI double that nearly left the park, as well as an opposite-field RBI single.

It was the first three-hit game since July 25 for Guerrero Jr., who drove in five, a season best. It’s hard to quantify, but he looked like himself again.

Most importantly, the Blue Jays won, setting up a massive series finale on Thursday between Tanner Bibee and Jose Soriano. At this point in the season, it’s about the team rather than any individual player.