Blue Jays receiving big boost from Clement: 'He's a power hitter now'
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The Toronto Blue Jays are enjoying an offensive explosion against the struggling Athletics, and it isn't just the usual suspects at the heart of it.
Sure, the big names have produced - Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer have all homered - but the most productive bat in the lineup the last two games has been Ernie Clement.
“He’s a power hitter now, so I guess I’ll tell him to hit a homer every time," manager John Schneider said of Clement after Friday's 11-7 win.
Toronto has scored 23 runs in the first two games of the series against the Athletics, their best two-game stretch on offence and only two of three games this season in which they've scored double-digit runs.
Clement, who entered the series hitting .245 with a .601 on-base plus slugging, has seen those numbers skyrocket to a .273 average and a .696 OPS in two games after going 7-for-10 with two doubles, two home runs and six runs batted in.
That included a performance that put him in the Blue Jays' record book: Clement hit a three-run homer and a two-run double in the second inning on Thursday against the Athletics, tying him for the franchise record (5) for most RBI in a single inning.
“I was trying to hit a homer, honestly,” Clement said of his second trip to the plate in that eight-run inning. “Two homers in an inning with a bunch of RBIs would have been pretty fun.”
Clement, whose home runs in the last two games have increased his total on the season to three across 55 games and 19 across 997 plate appearances in his career, would never be mistaken for a power hitter in the majors. But the fact that he's hitting with confidence like that is certainly impressing Schneider.
“Homers with Ernie happen when he’s taking aggressive swings ... Maybe try to hit a homer every time? I don’t know, maybe that’s Ernie’s new thing,” Schneider said with a laugh after Friday's game.
Toronto is about to experience a roster crunch, with the impending return of lefty second baseman Andres Gimenez from the injured list.
With Addison Barger providing a .785 OPS as the team's primary third baseman, Clement - who has often worked as a utility infielder - may be relegated to the bench when Gimenez returns.
Clement's performances recently - especially against lefty pitching - mixed with his strong defensive capabilities will make it hard for Schneider to take playing time away.
Clement owns a .388 average against left-handed pitching and an electric 1.160 OPS.
“It’s definitely nice to have that option, and he’s handled [lefty pitching] well, I feel like even going back to last year, too,” Schneider said. “It’s nice to have someone to -- I don’t want to say neutralize lefties, but someone who has a fair bit of success against them. He’s been really good the last couple of weeks and he has a great approach against lefties.
“He’s been pretty locked in for a while, but as long as we’ve had him, he’s been good against lefties.”
Hard contact hasn't always been easy to find for Clement this season, leading to some pedestrian numbers despite the fact he rarely walks or strikes out. He's hoping to keep with this form more consistently moving forward.
“I don’t think I’ve gotten as many pitches to drive,” Clement said. “My bread and butter last year was ambushing them and catching them by surprise on that first pitch. I just haven’t gotten that first pitch in the middle of the zone. Teams kind of know that I’m aggressive, and I’ve had to reel it back a bit, but those pitches are going to come and I’ve got to be ready for them.”