The Blue Jays fought for control of the A’s in the seventh game

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On Bark at the Ballpark night at the Oakland Coliseum, the Blue Jays unleashed their own Bassitt dog.

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Chris Bassitt, who knows the stadium hill and the cavernous venue known for its many empty seats well from his time playing for the A’s, was very good at a time when Toronto’s starting lineup wasn’t that good.

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He brought the heat, brought the temperature down by drawing on his vast off-speed arsenal, and even persevered despite a bloody thumb.

Turns out Bassitt was damn good at leading the Blue Jays to their 7-1 win.

Toronto is aiming for a series win on Wednesday and has a chance to return home with a 5-1 record and a wild-card berth.

As part of MLB’s dog-friendly initiative, fans were able to bring their four-legged companions to the ballpark.

On an evening when the beating was left to the dogs, the barking far outweighed the applause, at least for most of the night.

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A’s starter Ken Waldichuk didn’t take a backseat to Bassitt, who gave up two of Oakland’s three hits in six innings to Zack Gelof.

Zach Neal was starting with Oakland tied 0-0 in the top half of the seventh period when the game suddenly turned in Toronto’s favor.

Waldichuk, a left-handed hitter, gave up three free passes in six complete innings.

Neal, a right-hander, would walk three in an inning.

The Jays battled around and scored six runs in the seventh, more than enough to back up Bassitt.

Oakland finally reached Bassitt in the home half of the seventh and scored a run.

The Jays had been waiting to pounce on an inferior opponent, and on Tuesday it came.

Bassitt had no chance, the offense exploded in the seventh and the Jays defense was good in the team’s most complete and dominant game of its current journey.

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If they hadn’t blown a 5-0 lead against the Rockies, Toronto would have a perfect 6-0 road win.

When the Astros and Rangers met in Texas, the Jays knew there was an opportunity.

Given the obvious talent difference between the A’s and Jays, there’s no reason why a series sweep shouldn’t happen on Wednesday.

That’s followed by a three-game weekend series against Kansas City at Rogers Center, three more winnable games against a weak opponent.

The Rangers will be in town as soon as the Royals leave town.

By then the wildcard image will look different.

The Jays offer a glimpse of what’s possible when an outing like Bassitt’s night comes to an end and the offense explodes like it did in the seventh inning.

Still, it was against the A’s when Waldichuk’s night was over.

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At the same time, the Jays were clean and certainly opportunistic.

Not bad for a team that wasn’t good on this trip, but still good enough to beat bad teams.

ERNIE AND DAVIS SHOW

First, it was Davis Schneider who made a big impact when the Blue Jays called him up for a weekend series in Boston that turned epic.

Ernie Clement didn’t deserve the nickname “Babe,” but he didn’t look out of place either, aside from a few brief mistakes.

In the second inning of Tuesday night’s game, he hit a high chopper before throwing the second ball into the bag, where Schneider made the pivot and throw to record the 6-4-3 double play.

The game began when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a double play after a leadoff single by George Springer.

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The Clement-Schneider tandem held down the left side of the infield in Denver as the Jays played a three-game sweep against the Rockies.

Clement was narrowly hit in the seventh when the Jays opened the inning by having runners on first and second in a scoreless game.

RETURN FROM BO?

The news surrounding Bo Bichette continues to improve as he recovers from a right quad strain that landed the stud shortstop on the injured list.

Bichette accompanied the team on their road trip, which began in Colorado before moving on to the Bay Area.

He was again able to throw groundballs, run and participate in batting practice.

The hope is that Bichette returns to the lineup as early as Friday when the Jays begin a weekend series against the visiting Kansas City Royals.

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Bichette was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to August 28th.

Without Bichette, the Jays have assembled a lineup to compensate for the loss of the team’s reigning No. 2 hitter.

Schneider found himself in the No. 2 hole Tuesday night after the Jays didn’t have Schneider in the lineup Monday when Cavan Biggio hit Bichette’s slot.

Biggio started in right field on Tuesday night.

INJURY UPDATES

1B/DH Brandon Belt remains out with a gastrointestinal infection; During the team’s current trip, which ends Wednesday, Belt suffered a scratch before the game when his back strained… Former Oakland A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, who the Jays signed with a right center fielder on the 10-day Placed on the injured list, sprained his finger on the same day as Bichette, has started taking groundballs and playing catch again; The catch is that Chapman hasn’t been given permission to swing the bat… Danny Jansen’s status should be made much clearer sometime Wednesday, when he’s scheduled to visit a hand specialist in Pennsylvania; The unfortunate catcher received a foul tip from his throwing hand in Colorado; an initial diagnosis revealed a fracture in his middle finger; Because the Jays have an off day on Thursday, it is possible that no final and official information regarding Jansen’s future status will be announced until manager John Schneider is available Friday night before the game.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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