TORONTO -- We haven’t seen the Blue Jays accelerate through the finish line often this season.
So many of their wins have looked more like the two that ended their recent series in New York, where they cling to a small, early lead and hope to reach shore before taking on too much water. Friday’s 6-2 win, with a knockout punch of three insurance runs in the eighth, is a better way to live.\n\n“That was a big inning, adding on,” manager John Schneider said. “We were really light in the bullpen today anyways, so that was good to see. We had a couple of big swings early, then took advantage of some of their mistakes. The eighth inning, that was nice.”\n\nThis is what mattered most from the win:
**1\\. PIÑA POWER: One big hit**\n\n
Last time this happened, Piñango was optioned back to Triple-A for Addison Barger despite the fact he’d gotten off to a great start in the big leagues. Barger quickly injured himself again, though, which yanked Piñango right back to the Major Leagues, so here we are again. Yes, Piñango’s defense has been flawed and not every at-bat has been as explosive as this one, but the Blue Jays need bats in their lineup that feel threatening. It’s a short list, but Piñango is on it, and the rookie keeps forcing hard decisions on this front office.\n\n**2\\. SAME OLD:**
**3\\. RUN IT: Springer looking like 2025**\n\nThey don’t run often, but they run well. The Blue Jays rank 25th in baseball with just 23 stolen bases, but they’ve only been thrown out three times, an 88% success rate. If they aren’t hitting for power, this is an area they can -- and should -- begin to exploit more.
The most encouraging moment of the game, though, came from