Blue Jays manager Schneider discusses Kirk’s injury, Manoah’s workload and more

After 11 games in 10 days, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider is pleased with the team’s progress after beating the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles 7-4 and some big streak wins.

With 15 games remaining in the regular season, including critical series against the Rays and New York Yankees, Toronto’s finals are coming fast and furious.

Schneider caught up with Sportsnet Fan 590’s Blair and Barker to discuss the team’s recent games, individual performances and some injuries.

cutter expects Kirk to return vs. Phillies, no schedule for Gurriel Jr.

Alejandro Kirk has missed the last five games with a left hip injury but could come on from the bench if necessary. When it comes to getting back behind the plate against the Philadelphia Phillies, Schneider admits the injury is hampering his options.

“He gets tired a little bit quicker, but he’ll be in (the line-up) in some capacity tomorrow, whether it’s DH or catching.”

It was important for Schneider to have Danny Jansen as a catcher with Alek Manoah, who normally works with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate.

“I think in the future there will be times when the experience of doing something new is important. So it’s not the first time they’re doing it in games that are really, really magnified, whether it’s regular season or postseason.” Schneider said Jansen and Manoah have grown accustomed to working together.

“It’s been good for everyone I think and it’s been good for Jansen to play those three games in a row. He swings the racquet really well too so I think yeah, minus the result of the game nothing but good came out of it .”

For Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Schneider didn’t have a firm update on when to expect him back in the lineup.

The outfielder was placed on the 10-day injury list on September 9 with a left hamstring strain and at the time the team expected Gurriel to take more than the 10 days to return.

“He’s doing much better every day,” said Schneider. “We’ll see how the next few days are when we’re in Philly and hopefully we’ll get a much better understanding of whether we can speed it up for the next series or two.”

The 28-year-old from Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, has five home runs and 52 RBI with a .291/.343/.400 slash this season.

How the team plans to handle Manoah’s workload

In his second season, Alek Manoah is nearing the 200-inning mark in what would be the first time a Blue Jays starter has done so since Marcus Stroman in 2017.

In terms of his effort, Schneider believes his ability to adapt to different situations gives the team flexibility, but they intend to be prudent in their approach to the number of innings he throws.

“He has definitely shown us that he can adjust to resting normally. I think in a perfect world you give him and everyone a little more rest if you can,” Schneider explained.

“Then we can use them on the track as needed. So we’re going to be over with everything, how does he feel about throwing, what’s going on in the league, all those things. If we can give him a little more rest, we certainly will.

Hernandez’s struggles at the plate in September

With Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. turning things around in September, Teoscar Hernandez continues to see production slip, hitting just .196/.237/.321 with one home run and four RBI in 14 games.

It’s similar to the struggles he had in May, when he slashed .151/.195/.233 while hitting a home run and driving in eight RBIs in 19 games. Schneider hopes a change of scenery that sees the team back on the road can spark something at Hernandez.

“His last handful of bats were better.” explains Schneider. “I think when it comes to adjustments, maybe it’s easy to shrink the hitting zone a little bit and do what he’s really good at, which is driving the ball into right midfield.”

With Hernandez’s struggles at plate and defense, a player like Raimel Tapia has seen more time in the lineup and that could continue down the line.

“I think we’re always looking at matchups and numbers and obviously we’re at a point in the year where performance plays a big part in who’s doing what,” Schneider said.

“They don’t want to say that we’re going to change exactly what we’re doing. Teo is one of our guys, we trust him and we know he can change the leverage of a game very quickly in one shot. I wouldn’t expect anything drastically different to happen. And when he gets going, he does it even better.”

What led to Berrios’ improvement on the hill?

Jose Berrios has endured a roller-coaster season of contradictions as the team tries to figure out how his post-season rotation might play out.

After a tough August month, Berrios appears to have turned the tide in September with a 2-0 run from a 2.45 ERA over three starts.

What led to its improvement? Schneider points out a few factors.

“Better fastball execution. I don’t think even on his last effort he was landing his curveball nearly as often as he wanted, but the fastball execution was spot on when to throw his two-seamer and when to throw his four.” said Schneider.

“The move has been a great opportunity for him lately, both right-handed and left-handed. He’s a seasoned guy who’s done that and I think he’s clicking at the right time and feeling comfortable and kind of easy with some of the adjustments he’s made with Pete, you know, a competent version of himself right now being ourselves, which is great for us.