Blue Jays bats erupt as losing streak snapped in desert

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There was nothing the Blue Jays could do Sunday afternoon in Phoenix to erase the fact that they’ve lost a miserable six consecutive series.

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Nor could they climb out of at least a share of the basement in the American League East or get their record back anywhere near .500.

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They could, however, save some face and exhale to release some of the angst from their early-season struggles. In one record-setting inning at Chase Field, they did just that.

The Jays scored eight runs in the first inning — a franchise record — as the first seven hitters recorded hits, which matched another club mark.

It was a rousing start to a blowout, 10-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to avoid a sweep in the three-game weekend series.

After losing four in a row entering Sunday’s contest and on a miserable 3-12 run, the Jays were in desperate need of a heaping dose of positivity. In back-to-back losses in the Phoenix stop alone, manager John Schneider had to deal with the drama of a closer in distress and a bulk guy whining about his plight with the team, the latter especially a distraction the team didn’t need.

A terrible first 20 games of the season were getting more worrisome by the loss for the reigning American League champs, even with 140-plus remaining. So yes, the Jays needed a stress-free, offensive-outburst, feel-like-a-big-win afternoon and that’s precisely what they got.

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Our takeaways from an effort that improved the Jays’ record to 8-13.

First things first

When Nathan Lukes started things with a single to lead off, the taps were open. It was indeed a record-setting opener for the Jays, one in which they scored more runs (eight) than they had in the four losses (seven) leading up to it. And they did all that before the D’backs had recorded their second out of the game.

Almost incredibly, the first seven batters all recorded hits, including doubles from Ernie Clement and Kazuma Okamoto (more on him later.)

The seven consecutive hits were a Jays record to start a game, as was eight in a row to reach base after a walk to Myles Straw followed Okamoto’s belt.

After the D’Backs recorded their first out of the inning — a strikeout of No. 9 hitter Brandon Valenzuela — Lukes returned to the plate and doubled to clear the loaded bases and bump the bloated lead to 8-0.

The offensive eruption that was so long coming made life easier for Jays starter Kevin Gausman, who had been dragged down with poor run support in his four previous starts this season.

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It also had to be a huge relief for some of those who had been struggling, while also avoiding a sweep and opening up the possibility of salvaging something from this nine-game, 10-day, three-city trip.

How bad has it been going?

While the ‘it’s early’ chorus was inclined to dismiss the 7-13 start, the deeper the hole was dug, the more concerning it was becoming.

That mark was their worst after 20 games since 2017 and was achieved despite a lightweight schedule, particularly in the first nine games. The Jays entered Sunday’s play five games out of the division lead and had yet to face an AL East foe.

In dropping the first two games of the series, the Jays guaranteed a sixth consecutive series loss, their longest such skid since 2012. The worst stretch of series losses Schneider’s team had last year was three.

And what about the drama?

As noted, prior to Sunday it was a challenging weekend to keep calm and manage on for Schneider.

It started when Friday’s bulk arm, Eric Lauer, continued his griping at the organization when he expressed his displeasure at the team employing an opener. (“You pitch, I decide,” was Schneider’s response.)

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Then following Saturday’s horrific grand slam allowed by reliever Jeff Hoffman, the manager had to answer questions about the right-hander’s future as closer. (Schneider treaded carefully on that one.)

Good chance we’ll see how both of those play out in Anaheim, where Lauer’s next turn comes up Wednesday and in an ideal world, the Jays will have an opportunity to close out a win and see whether Schneider goes with Hoffman or fireballer Louis Varland.

Was this the real Kazuma (Big Oak) Okamoto?

While there are many booming takeaways from such an offensive explosion (lhow about Lukes having two doubles and a single in his first three at-bats?), the one that may matter most long is that of Kazuma Okamoto.

It’s been a daily dissection of how the Japanese slugger has been struggling as he finds his feet in North America and struggles to adapt to MLB pitching.

That two-RBI double in the first was followed by a solo homer two innings later, his third of the season but first since March 30.

One game, sure, but the quality of the at-bats and the confidence in the swing were encouraging for Okamoto, who signed a four-year, $60-million US deal in the winter. The first inning shot was a hit in the dugout, given the Jays were 1-for-20 with the bases loaded this season.

As a reflection of the lack of pop in the Jays’ bats, Okamoto now shares the team lead in homers with Daulton Varsho and Andres Gimenez.

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