Wonderful things can happen when you don’t rush to give up the first run of the ballgame. The Blue Jays finally flipped that script and struck first against the Mets Monday thanks to Juan Soto, who whiffed on a bouncing ball from George Springer which allowed Springer to race all the way around the bases and score. The 2-1 win at Rogers Centre halted a six-game losing streak for the Blue Jays. This is what mattered most from the victory: **1\. Trey Yesavage controlled the game** In Yesavage’s past five starts entering Monday, he’d put up walk totals of five, six and seven. Even with his ability to wipe out mistakes, that just won’t work. The most important number from Monday’s win was the big, beautiful “zero” in the walk column for Yesavage. On the good days this season, we see a pitcher beginning to understand the value of trusting his defense, which did an excellent job Monday night. There will still be days where Yesavage racks up 12 strikeouts, but on the other days, this needs to be the approach. “Mindset leads to mechanics” manager John Schneider said. “I think your body follows what your brain is telling you to do. When that’s all synced up, it’s pretty good, but I think it’s about the mindset and not being afraid to say, ‘OK, here we go.’” This all seems to suit Yesavage so well, too. He’s so straightforward, so direct to the point about everything he does. “I’d rather go out there and give up solo homers than walk the house. That’s what happened today, and I’m happy with it,” Yesavage said. Yesavage ended the night with a 3.34 ERA, and if he can keep these walks to even a reasonable level, that number should continue to drop as his elite swing-and-miss stuff takes over again. With nearly half a season still remaining, Yesavage could easily force his way back into the AL Rookie of the Year conversation alongside teammate Kazuma Okamoto.
