George Springer was one of the few bright spots for the Toronto Blue Jays in Friday night’s 12-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Starting in left field, the veteran outfielder finished 1-for-4 and launched a solo home run, one of three long balls Toronto hit on the night alongside Luis Urías and Brandon Valenzuela. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Blue Jays dropped the opener of the three-game series and fell further behind in the American League standings.
The loss continued what has been a disappointing season for Toronto. The Blue Jays are now 45-52, last in the AL East, and their postseason hopes are rapidly fading. With 66 games remaining, Toronto needs to go 36-30 the rest of the way just to finish the season at .500.
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If the Blue Jays are going to mount any kind of second-half turnaround, they’ll need Springer and other stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk to start producing at their best.
Ahead of Saturday’s second game against Chicago, Toronto made an adjustment. After patrolling left field on Friday, manager John Schneider shuffled his lineup, with Springer returning to the designated hitter spot in Saturday’s starting lineup. Valenzuela, who served as the Blue Jays’ designated hitter in the series opener, was out of Saturday’s starting lineup.
Springer remains one of Toronto’s most experienced offensive contributors despite his overall struggles. Entering Saturday, the veteran was batting .218 with 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, six stolen bases and a .685 OPS in 67 games this season.
After homering in Friday’s loss, the Blue Jays will be hoping Springer can stay hot as they look to salvage the series at Rogers Centre. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. ET.
