TORONTO -- Addison Barger hadn't seen the bat in a year, until his teammate walked to the plate in the eighth inning. Ty France grabbed one of Barger's old bats from the cage under Rogers Centre in the late moments of Wednesday's contest, dragging it out for his pinch-hit opportunity.
When France launched a towering home run to left field on the third pitch, dropping the bat in triumph at the plate, Barger knew the change to make. Barger sat hitless in four at-bats to start the contest, pushing his August batting average below .200. Clearly, he said, his current bat wasn't working. France showed him the tool to use.
"He had a homer with it," Barger said. "And I was like, 'Oh, shoot, I'm just gonna use that.'"
Two batters later, Barger walked out with the old bat in hand and hammered a game-winning double off the right field wall, sparking the Toronto Blue Jays' 9-8 comeback win over the Minnesota Twins. Alongside Jeff Hoffman's bounce-back save, rebounds fuelled the Jays' needed win.
"That was a big win today," manager John Schneider said. "You know, this point of the year, there's definitely some things you want to get better at. But to ultimately come back and win, it was really, really big."
Tuesday's loss could've been deflating, with a four-run ninth and Hoffman's blown save pushing a series-clinching win into a devastating loss. After the contest, Schneider and starter Chris Bassitt echoed the same sentiment -- unwavering faith in the closer. Just 24 hours later, Hoffman rewarded the trust.
The Blue Jays closer pushed his pitches to the edges of the plate, avoiding the drifting fastballs that sunk his appearance a day earlier. As Myles Straw sprinted under a deep fly ball to start the ninth, Hoffman released a quick and subtle fist pump beside his belt. He then struck out Minnesota's Matt Wallner, the same slugger who tagged Hoffman for a three-run homer Tuesday. Two batters later, Hoffman's 29th save was finalized.
"I think that's the perfect situation for him," Eric Lauer said. "You know, back to back, go back out there against the same squad and show that you can do it."
The start to Barger's game, too, could've deflated the young lefty. With two Jays on in the third, he popped out. He then struck out in the fifth and sixth innings with Toronto's tying runs on second base. August has been Barger's worst full month, with season lows in batting average, on-base and slugging. In late August, Schneider said, Barger is navigating the "natural course of the season."
"He's got one speed," Schneider said. "You know, he kind of practices the same way. So trying to tone it back a little bit, not force things and trust his ability."
Opportunities presented to pinch hit for Barger in the late innings of Wednesday's game, with the Twins turning to lefty relievers. The manager, too, could've turned to a different reliever to navigate the ninth inning with a one-run lead. Instead, Schneider stuck with both players, betting on bounce-backs. It's a trust, Schneider said, in the guys who brought Toronto to this point in the season.
As the season flips to September, the Jays aren't set for any drastic roster change. A few new or returning faces could fill out the roster, but the core of this team will remain. They will need Hoffman to lock down big saves and require Barger's lefty power to spark comebacks. Players might blow games, settle into slumps and leave runners on in big spots -- that's inevitable across the roster. Whether through trust or the lack of alternatives, the Jays must turn to those players the next day and hope for rebounds. They got them Wednesday, clawing back for the 40th comeback win of the season.
There will be more setbacks. But if future bumps are followed by future bounce-backs, the Jays can continue their climb to October and beyond.