In the Blue Jays’ victory on Sunday, the veteran was certainly a model for what this offence has been missing for too many games in this……

Justin Turner and Jose Berrios lead by example as Blue Jays polish off Rockies

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For your glass-half-full view of the Blue Jays’ season now that just about 10 per cent of it has been completed, perhaps it’s that they have won their first two home series.

 

It doesn’t hurt that in two of those Rogers Centre sets, including a 5-0 blanking of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to secure the second, the emerging brilliance of starter Jose Berrios continued to gather traction.

Oh, and how about Justin Turner, the veteran acquisition that single-handedly is threatening to temper some of the disappointment of Jays general manager Ross Atkins’ lacklustre off-season? 

There still is plenty to be learned about a Jays team that has seemed averse to developing any serious forward momentum for going on 13 months now.

 

But when it comes to the savvy-hitting new guy with the red beard, they have a professional hitter who should be the example both in deeds and words for what can make this offence tick.

 

In the Blue Jays’ victory on Sunday, the veteran was certainly a model for what this offence has been missing for too many games in this still-young season. In his first three trips to the batter’s box, Turner went bloop single-double-single, driving in a run each time.

 

“I still don’t think we’re even close to scratching the surface of the potential of the offence,” said Turner, who has a share of the team’s RBI lead with eight. “We’ve got a lot of guys working every day and grinding and when the pendulum starts to swing the other way, it’s going to be a fun offence to be a part of.

There’s a reason Turner is manager John Schneider’s No. 4 hitter, and his teammates are taking notice of much of what the veteran does.

 

“Having JT on this team now, he kind of knows what it takes to win,” said outfielder Davis Schneider, who is one of many in the Jays clubhouse paying close attention to how the 39-year-old approaches his craft. “We have a team capable of winning, and I think everyone knows that and he’s been great to be around and watch how he approaches it.”

 

Turner is certainly hot right now, with a six-game hit streak and a fifth multi-hit game of the season. He has been particularly lethal against left-handed pitchers, going 8-for-10 with four doubles, a homer and six RBI.

 

And as Davis Schneider suggests, Blue Jays manager John Schneider is noticing the influence elsewhere.

 

“A lot of it I’m seeing in meetings and how he talks to guys about approaches and different pitchers and what their plan is,” the manager said. “He’s not a hitting coach, but the closest thing to it. You want him to go out and perform, but (his influence) definitely rubs off.”

The more it rubs off, the better the Jays will be, as Turner predicts.

 

With the regular DH and Berrios leading the way on Sunday, it allowed the Jays to take two of three from the NL West dregs, rebounding nicely from a miserable 12-4 blowout defeat on Friday.

 

To this point, however, the Jays have been pretty much what you would expect from an 89-win team returning without any significant upgrades (although Turner single-handedly is working to dispel that part of the narrative).

 

Win a couple, lose a couple, flirt with .500 but don’t go past it. And as of yet, they have been unable to climb out of the AL East basement. But Turner, who is hitting a magnificent .386 through 16 games, has the ability to change that, and as many players have noted, he  already has emerged as a wisened leader, both in the clubhouse and on the diamond.

 

“Friday was ugly and didn’t go the way we wanted it, but the resilience to bounce back and go out and salvage two games,” Turner said. “it says a lot about the club.

Next up will be a three-game set with the red-hot New York Yankees when the AL East leaders roll into town on Monday to test the Jays’ 4-2 home record to date. Perhaps not the easiest spot to kickstart a winning streak beyond two games, but with the prospect of catcher Danny Jansen and late-inning relievers Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson all returning at some point in the Yankees series, perhaps things are looking up. 

The work of Berrios, for instance, has been terrific. He allowed just two hits in his seven shutout innings and hasn’t allowed a run over 13.2 innings in his two Rogers Centre starts, both wins (and 15.2 innings overall. The opening day (and home opener) starter struck out seven Rockies on Sunday and is now the owner of a skimpy 1.05 ERA.

 

“He’s executing at a really, really high rate,” John Schneider said. “With his stuff and where he’s at confidence wise right now he’s in a really good spot.”

 

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