Jessica Pegula back in US Open quarterfinals after a fourth-round romp

Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, which used to be her roadblock.

TORONTO — As the fifth inning threatened to unravel on the Toronto Blue Jays, the recent struggles of their bullpen appeared destined to deepen with yet another implosion.

Lefty Brendon Little, charged with protecting a one-run lead after Max Scherzer had some upper-back tightness, could have been out of the frame, or at least in a good spot with two out and one on, but instead, a bobbled dribbler and an imperfect relay left the bases loaded with none out.

After a Sal Frelick chopper to the mound led to an out at home, manager John Schneider turned to Tommy Nance, and the right-hander completed a remarkable escape by striking out Andrew Vaughn and inducing an Isaac Collins groundout.

For a relief group under the microscope during a rough stretch that coincided with a challenging period overall for the club, it was an important moment of catharsis.

“What Tommy did was huge, to keep that game right there,” said Schneider. “These are our guys. You guys are sick of me saying it, but I trust them, you know what I mean? It’s not going to be perfect every single night. But to step up the way they did as a whole was really, really cool to see. We’ve talked the last couple days, you’re trying to stay ahead of things, you’re trying to help guys get better in real time, and a lot of credit goes to the pitchers and to the staff for, I think, solving some problems and having some pretty direct conversations.

“So it was it was nice to see them bounce back the way they did.”

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-417057” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-417057” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: true,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377954295112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-361236” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-361236” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: false,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377954295112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

Now, one strong performance doesn’t alone put the Blue Jays back on track, but the three-run rally the offence put up immediately after Nance’s crucial hold, along with the steely relief work that followed in an 8-4 victory Sunday over the Milwaukee Brewers, was a needed response to cap a 3-3 homestand.

Louis Varland, with a dominant 1.2 shutout innings that ended a run of six straight outings with a run allowed, Seranthony Dominguez and embattled closer Jeff Hoffman, turning Saturday’s jeers into Sunday’s cheers, all locked the game down behind Nance, aided by the breathing room that three-spot in the fifth provided.

And the offence, with five players collecting two hits apiece, did some heavy lifting on a warm afternoon before a sell-out crowd of 41,488 at Rogers Centre after Scherzer gave up a two-run homer in the first and a pair in the third to surrender a 4-2 lead.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s infield single in the fourth put the Blue Jays ahead for good at 5-4, while Myles Straw’s two-run single followed Tyler Heineman’s RBI double to create some separation in the fifth.

“That was definitely the inning of the game for us, getting out of that bases-loaded, no-out jam,” said Straw. “B-Lit did a good job staying cool and collected that last one and Tommy, massive strikeout and then (groundout), Definitely big momentum for us. Wasn’t looking too hot there for a second, but our guys are nasty and you always have faith in those guys, for a punchie and that’s what they did.”

The Blue Jays’ defence played a vital role, too.

Straw chased down a Vaughn drive to centre in the third and then threw out Contreras at third base for an inning-ending double play, while in the fourth, Andres Gimenez making a clever read on a double-steal attempt and threw out Andruw Monasterio at home to end that frame.

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-821023” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-821023” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: true,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377947125112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-831849” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-831849” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: false,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377947125112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

All combined, the Blue Jays (79-58) moved back to three games up on the New York Yankees (76-61) — 3-2 losers at the Chicago White Sox — and maintained a 3½ -game edge on the Boston Red Sox (76-62), who beat Pittsburgh 5-2.

“I almost had a feeling early on, we weren’t necessarily crushing the ball and balls were just getting through and sometimes baseball is funny that way, I was like, ‘oh, this is going to be one of those days today, isn’t it?’” said Nance. “To get us out of losing the first two to them, sometimes that’s what you need. And that’s what makes baseball so great, is you don’t have to hit home runs the whole game or crush the ball. There are ways to win. And that’s what I like about this team, is we find a way to win.”

Scherzer said he began feeling tightness in his upper back during pre-game prep, which eased as he warmed up and then picked up from the second inning onwards, “affecting the way I was getting through the ball.”

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-547307” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-547307” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: true,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377947134112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-373510” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-373510” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: false,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377947134112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

He described the pain as “more dull than sharp, so that’s the good news, that it’s just muscular,” and he doesn’t expect the tightness “to be a long-term thing.”

“I’m going to take all the drugs I can take,” he added later. “Hopefully, this is out of here in 48 hours.”

That left five innings for the bullpen to cover, which wasn’t ideal given the relief crew’s role in losses Friday and Saturday to Milwaukee, among other recent setbacks. Little, who allowed two runs in a messy sixth inning behind a solid Shane Bieber on Friday, nearly made it a lost weekend during a bizarre outing in which he did his job by getting three groundballs, but only got one out for his troubles.

“The outcome was great, the end result was not,” he said of misplaying a Christian Yelich dribbler up the first-base line before botching his throw to first after initially looking to third and second while fielding Contreras’ comebacker. “Tommy came in and did amazing, so that was huge. And then it’s easier to look back and be like, OK, you got the three groundballs. Biggest plus for me is that’s probably the best my delivery has felt since July. So I’m really happy about that. Take it as a wash, honestly.”

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-791555” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-791555” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: true,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377943308112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

var adServerUrl = “”;
var $el = $( “#video_container-520148” );
var permalink = $el.closest(‘.snet-single-article’).data(‘permalink’);

$el.after( unescape(“%3Cscript src=”” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “” : “”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js” %3E%3C/script%3E”) );

$( document ).one( ‘ready’, function() {
$( “#video_container-520148” ).SNPlayer( {
bc_account_id: “1704050871”,
bc_player_id: “JCdte3tMv”,
//autoplay: false,
//is_has_autoplay_switch: false,
bc_videos: 6377943308112,
is_has_continuous_play: “false”,
section: “”,
thumbnail: “”,
direct_url: “”
});
});

The Brewers managed only four hits over the final five innings against the type of relief work the Blue Jays have been working to get back to.

“Our bullpen, hey, they’ve been having hiccups, everybody gets that — look, I give up homers as much as anybody. I get it,” said Scherzer. “But to watch those guys go out there today with a lead and throw up zeroes, that’s just big at this time of year. … I’m with these guys every single day. And I see what these guys are doing. They feature really good stuff. We have all the belief in the world for them to go out there, and it’s great for those guys to get results.”

And even better for a Blue Jays team that needed them.