Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ends home run drought to give Blue Jays early lead originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coming into Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was riding a 23-game home run-less streak. The Toronto Blue Jays slugger's power outage was becoming a issue but this one should give him confidence.
Facing Tigers ace Jack Flaherty in the first inning, Guerrero Jr. hit the inside pitch for just enough distance to cross the fence at Comerica Park. The left fielder was waiting for a rebound of the fence but there was one. With this, Guerrero Jr. finally sends one out of the park for the first time since April 21. Moreover, it was just his third home run of the season.
Guerrero Jr.'s home run gave the Blue Jays a early 1-0 lead. The first baseman's slugger has been a big reason why the Blue Jays have managed a poor 20-25 start to the season after making the World Series last season. The $500 million signee was expected to perform at an MVP level but the power numbers are not just there so far.
MORE: Blue Jays’ John Schneider sends message to Vladimir Guerrero Jr amid horrible skid
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. talks about his struggles at the plate
Entering this weekend, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was going through a rough patch, having managed just 6 hits off his last 51 plate appearances.
This unreal slump led to Guerrero Jr. admitting that he's not feeling alright at the plate:
"Obviously, I don't feel OK right now. You can see it. I've been working really hard. I just want to crush one ball, that's all I am thinking about. I know things will turn around."
The Blue Jays slugger showed optimisim in himself and if he can produce what he did on Sunday consistently, the franchise can turn things around soon.
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