Depth players have sustained hot run by Jays’ offence

The Toronto Blue Jays were 26-28 after a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on May 26. The next day, a 2-0 win – thanks to a pinch-hit home run by Bo Bichette – started a 12-2 run over their next 14 games. They're now 38-30.

Their pitching has been decent (4.31 ERA - 17th over past 15 days), but the offence has been the primary catalyst during this hot streak. The Jays have averaged 6.7 runs per game, the most in the majors over the past 15.

As much as Bichette is the one who triggered the turnaround, it is a group of depth players who have sustained this great run of success. Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, utility man Addison Barger and infielder Ernie Clement have been on fire.

Bichette (.286/.317/.500 with 3 HR and 13 RBI) and veteran outfielder George Springer (.304/.354/.695 with 5 HR, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored) have been very good over the past 15 days.

But Kirk (.467/.500/.689 with 2 HR and 12 RBI) has been playing out of his mind, hitting a remarkable .346 with two strikes on him. By comparison, the major league average for hitters with two strikes is .170.

Barger has five home runs, 12 runs scored and 11 RBI. His left-handed bat has provided balance to a right-hand-dominant lineup that is missing switch-hitting Anthony Santander while he's on the injured list. Clement (.383/.396/.692 with 3 HR, 7 doubles, 10 runs scored and 7 RBI) has been fabulous as well.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.271/.364/.417 with one HR, 10 runs scored and seven RBI) has been pretty good over the past 15 days, but is not performing like a superstar. That may prove to be good news because he's due to get very hot and it may happen when the others cool off a bit.

The performance of Kirk, Barger and Clement has added, length, depth and balance to the lineup. This allows the Jays to potentially score in every inning. The offensive burst is what general manager Ross Atkins has been calling for over the past two seasons: INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT.

The question is whether this is sustainable or not. Is it a lineup that has made the necessary adjustments, or is it just a hot streak? Time will tell, but it's unlikely that Kirk can maintain this level of hitting when behind in the count. Barger has legitimate power, but his batting average may fall off some as the league makes an adjustment. The same goes for Clement. But that is where Vlad, and at some point Santander, need to start to produce and carry the team for a while.

ERA doesn’t tell the whole Hoffman story

Jays closer Jeff Hoffman is 5-2 with a 5.70 ERA with 17 saves in 20 opportunities. That ERA is not good and doesn’t exact a lot of confidence when John Schneider signals to the bullpen for him. But a deeper dive shows that the ERA doesn’t tell the whole story.

Hoffman has allowed runs in nine of his 31 appearances this season and a total of 19 runs - but 11 of them came in three appearances from May 5-13. He threw only 1/3 of an inning in each those three appearances.

His ERA in the other 28 appearances is 2.57.

Hoffman isn’t an elite closer. He is more of a second-tier closer. That may be an area that the Jays consider upgrading if they are still in the race at the trade deadline.

Hoffman has not been a full-time closer until now, so he could always transition to a setup role if the Jays get a more proven ninth-inning option.

Scherzer and the starting rotation

Another question is whether the Jays will need to get another starter at the trade deadline.

Max Scherzer has not been healthy for most of the season and Bowden Francis has imploded as he just can’t keep the ball in the ballpark.

Scherzer is working his way back to a major-league mound as he is on a rehab assignment, but I have zero expectations for him. At this point, whatever the Jays get from Scherzer is icing on the cake.

The Jays need to work Scherzer back to the big leagues, but must also work a parallel path of finding an upgrade outside of the organization. Atkins needs to start working the phones for a possible trade. Brewers starter Aaron Civale just demanded a move because the Brewers were taking him out of the bullpen. He would fit well on the Jays.

UPDATE: The Brewers have traded Civale to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Andrew Vaughn, according told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

But the Jays also need to get Francis back on track. I would send him to the minor leagues and rebuild his mental approach and confidence as soon as Scherzer is ready to be activated.

Francis walked five batters in his last start and is shying away from contact from the hitters. He will only be successful if he works ahead in the count and expands the zone later in the at-bats.  He has given up so many home runs this year, that he's now trying to miss bats by nibbling off the corners and it is making things worse for him. He needs to make adjustments, while not feeling the stress of competing at the major-league level.

Some may say that we are only talking about the fifth spot in the rotation, but you have to remember that it is 20 per cent of the games. The Jays can’t just punt that spot in the rotation, because it could burn their bullpen every fifth day and hurt them for the rest of the rotation.

The Jays are playing much better, but they can’t stand pat. They need to strive to get better –whether it's from internal or external upgrades.