Blue Jays Announce Sudden Ernie Clement Choice Earlier than Orioles Sport

The Toronto Blue Jays misplaced their fourth sport of their final 5 tries Friday once they dropped the sequence opener towards the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 as former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt acquired the win over Blue Jays future Corridor of Famer Max Scherzer.

The loss dealt a blow to the Blue Jays’ playoff hopes, as they fell to 2 video games out of the ultimate American League wild-card spot with simply 14 left to play.

Earlier than the center sport of the sequence on Saturday, the Blue Jays made a sudden announcement about their All-Star infielder, Ernie Clement.

Clement was neglected of Toronto’s beginning lineup Saturday, with Josh Smith sliding in at second base because the Blue Jays began Saturday towards Baltimore.

The transfer comes as Clement slogs by means of his coldest stretch of the season, and it places further scrutiny on how Toronto manages its lineup with a long-shot wild-card spot nonetheless on the road.

Blue Jays’ Ernie Clement Absent From Saturday’s Lineup

Official lineup playing cards for the three:07 p.m. ET sport at Rogers Centre confirmed Clement’s absence, with Smith beginning at second base and batting seventh. Clement isn’t on the injured checklist, and Toronto has introduced no roster transfer tied to his absence.

The benching follows a sample. Clement sat out final Sunday towards Kansas Metropolis after 5 straight begins, with Smith once more drawing the project towards a right-hander. Saturday brings the same matchup, with Baltimore sending right-hander Kyle Bradish to the mound whereas Spencer Miles begins for Toronto.

The remainder day arrives amid a tough stretch on the plate. Clement is hitting simply .173 over his final 15 video games with no house runs, and his September line sits at 8-for-36. He went 1-for-4 with a double and scored a run in Friday’s 7-4 loss to the Orioles, however that outing got here in the midst of a broader chilly spell that adopted an All-Star first half.

Toronto’s team-wide dip coincides instantly with Clement’s decline on the plate. Smith stays the one actual various at second base on days Clement sits, and Saturday marks no less than the second time up to now week Toronto has turned to him there.

Clement’s Unlikely Profession Monitor

Clement, born in Rochester, New York, and raised in close by Brighton, starred on the College of Virginia and helped the Cavaliers win the 2015 School World Sequence earlier than incomes Cape Cod League MVP honors the next summer time.

Cleveland chosen him within the fourth spherical of the 2017 draft, and he debuted within the majors in 2021. Oakland claimed him off waivers in 2022, then launched him the next March. Toronto signed him to a minor-league cope with a spring coaching invite days later.

Clement hit his technique to Triple-A Buffalo, earned a call-up to Toronto in Might 2023, and has began repeatedly ever since. He signed a one-year, $4.6 million contract in January and set the all-time file for hits in a single postseason with 30 final October. He’s additionally a Gold Glove finalist, performed for Crew USA on this yr’s World Baseball Basic, and has constructed a fame as an excessive contact hitter who hardly ever strikes out whereas overlaying second, third and shortstop for Toronto.

Toronto sits fourth within the AL East at 73-75 and two video games behind Cleveland for the ultimate wild-card berth, with Texas, Baltimore, Minnesota and Seattle all bunched inside a couple of video games of the identical spot. Baseball-Reference places the Blue Jays’ postseason odds close to 25 %, down after Friday’s loss, although Toronto nonetheless holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland.

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