Daulton Varsho has a Bo Bichette performance – two HRs and six RBI

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The hit parade wasn’t as extensive as Monday’s rout of the Rockies and neither was the evening’s lopsided nature.

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On this night, the Jays made the most of their hits in resounding fashion by unleashing an onslaught of dingers.

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In the sixth inning, the Jays scored four runs to take a 7-2 lead with all seven runs the result of homers, including two by Daulton Varsho, who homered once in Monday’s 15-1 shellacking.

Toronto went deep three times alone in Tuesday’s sixth inning en route to its 10-4 win, but this game was close on a night the visitors committed two errors.

The AL East leading Jays go for the series sweep Wednesday knowing a date in L.A. looms against the reigning World Series champion Dodgers, knowing the red-hot Boston Red Sox are nipping on Toronto’s heels.

The following are three takeaways on a night Joey Loperfido was hit by a 98 m.p.h. fastball flush off his right knee; he was in clear pain and walked off the field with the aid of manager John Schneider and a member of the team’s training staff.

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1. Longball Berrios

At some point, Jose Berrios will have to address his Achilles heel.

For the fifth time in his past five starts, Berrios yielded a homer, a two-run blast in the first inning.

It was the 20th home run Berrios has given up in 24 starts.

One of his strengths is an ability to bounce back when adversity strikes.

He retired the side in order in the second inning.

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In the third, the Rockies had the leadoff hitter on base following an Addison Barger fielding error at third base.

The inning ended when Berrios picked off a runner at second base.

In the sixth, Berrios hit a batter and had runners at second and third after the Rockies pushed across one run to make it a 7-3 game.

It was a 7-4 game when Berrios was pulled with the tying run at the plate.

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In 5.1 innings, Berrios gave up four runs on seven hits.

The home run didn’t help and neither did the hit batter to Jordan Beck, resulting in Beck and Berrios to exchange words before Schneider left the dugout to settle things down.

A fifth run would have been charged to Berrios, but the Jays turned a double play to end the sixth.

2. Vlad’s misery ends

Almost lost in Monday’s pasting was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s reaction following a poor at-bat.

For those who may have missed it or simply overlooked the sequence, he broke his bat, which only magnified his frustration.

While Bo Bichette posted a career night by driving in six runs and going deep twice, Vlad Jr. basically did nothing other than extend his consecutive on-base streak.

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After Nathan Lukes nearly went yard to begin Tuesday’s game, Bichette reached base on a single.

Vlad Jr. promptly hit into an inning-ending double play.

No bats were broken.

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It was Lukes who helped ignite the fireworks when he took Monday night’s first pitch and sent it into the outfield for a hit, the first of 25 for the Blue Jays.

He was responsible for Toronto’s third hit in the second game and the team’s first run when he stroked a solo homer with two outs in the third inning, Lukes’ 10th belt of the season.

Vlad Jr. led off the fourth, but he got under the ball that resulted in a long out into centre field.

There was no lack of contact when Varsho hit a two-run homer three batters later as the Jays took a 4-3 lead on his 10th dinger of the season.

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Vlad Jr. also led off the sixth inning, but this time he made solid contact in sending a ball deep into the right-field seats for his 17th homer on a 3-0 count.

One batter later, Barger went yard for his 17th homer as the Jays led 5-2.

Vlad Jr. produced a three-hit night, each going the other way.

3. Ty one on

Ty France was part of the fun Monday night when he entered the game as a pinch-hitter and recorded a single.

He DHed Tuesday.

What made his role so unique is where the newest Jay hit in the order.

It’s not every day a team has its DH bat ninth, but that’s precisely where France found himself.

France’s first plate appearance came with one out in the third inning in a 2-0 game.

He looked a tad uncomfortable when facing Anthony Molina, but he did foul off a tough pitch on a 2-2 count before France grounded out to short.

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After Loperfido’s leadoff single in the fifth, France flew out to centre.

Up next

Jays wrap up their three-game stay in Denver with Wednesday’s 3:10 p.m. first pitch; Colorado native Kevin Gausman (7-8, 3.99 ERA) is Toronto’s scheduled starter, no stranger to the ballpark having pitched at the venue when he attended Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo., about 32 kms from the Mile High City; Gausman appeared in his first MLB all-star game in his home state; in 2023 when the Jays last visited Coors Field, he went 4.0 innings in a 7-5 Toronto win; Rockies will counter with a fellow Colorado native in LHP Kyle Freeland (2-11, 5.26 ERA).

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