This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson's Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

There¡¯s something oddly quiet about the success of Toronto's bullpen lately.

Blame it on the look, not the numbers. The Blue Jays¡¯ bullpen doesn¡¯t have an arm capable of throwing 100 mph like most other organizations are producing regularly at this point. They also lack a true strikeout machine like Edwin D¨ªaz or Devin Williams on the back end, but that hasn¡¯t seemed to matter.

Since the Blue Jays turned things around a week ago, this bullpen has been a genuine strength, shutting down close games with authority and lulling the opposing lineup to sleep in blowouts. They¡¯ve done this with depth, but there¡¯s also some quality to this quantity.

¡°It¡¯s huge. I think we¡¯re able to put guys in for spots that, I don¡¯t want to say ¡®other teams,' but I think we at times couldn¡¯t do,¡± said interim manager John Schneider. ¡°It¡¯s a big part of a game against a big part of their lineup, and having a guy like Anthony Bass or a guy like Yimi García to put a fire out, knowing that you have [Tim] Mayza, [Jordan] Romano, [Adam] Cimber, [Trevor] Richards. It¡¯s nice to have options, and it¡¯s nice that the guys are up for any situation.¡±

Romano even gave the Blue Jays two innings to close out Thursday¡¯s wild 6-5 win, just the second time he¡¯s pitched two frames this season. After escaping a jam with the bases loaded and no outs in the ninth, he shut the Red Sox down in the 10th to slam the door on the sweep. It¡¯s obvious on your screen, but even in his voice, you can tell Romano¡¯s confidence is growing with each moment.

¡°I just said to myself, ¡®Don¡¯t stop competing. No matter what. Don¡¯t stop competing,'¡± Romano said. ¡°I left it out there, and whatever happens, happens. I was OK giving up a hit. I was OK giving up a homer. I was not going to stop competing.¡±

In Wednesday¡¯s 3-2 win, it was Bass who starred, entering with runners on second and third and two outs in a tied game. Bass struck out Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez, then Bobby Dalbec to escape the jam.

¡°Anthony has been throwing the ball extremely well since he¡¯s been here,¡± Schneider said. ¡°He¡¯s a veteran dude, and the moment isn¡¯t going to be too big for him.¡±

Bass has allowed just one run and only six hits over 10 innings since joining the Blue Jays in a Trade Deadline deal from the Marlins. Add that alongside David Phelps with a 2.50 ERA, Mayza with a 2.83 and Garcia with a 2.68 in front of Romano (2.25), and that¡¯s a solid group on the back end.

Garcia, in particular, has been excellent lately, even stepping in to pick up a save against the Yankees in New York the day after pitching a shutdown eighth. Expect to see the Blue Jays ride Garcia whenever possible down the stretch, especially after what he¡¯s shown Schneider this week.

¡°I loved it. He knows when to empty the tank and he knows when to pitch,¡± Schneider said. ¡°He¡¯s been nails all season. The moment doesn¡¯t get too big for him. He definitely dialed it up.¡±

The outlier, of course, is Yusei Kikuchi.

The left-hander struggled at Fenway Park on Tuesday, walking three batters and hitting another, while failing to escape an inning of mop-up duty. It¡¯s another worrying chapter in a long, frustrating season for the offseason free-agent signing, but for now, Schneider doesn¡¯t believe it¡¯s time to discuss a move to Triple-A Buffalo for Kikuchi. The talent is there, they just need to find it with some level of consistency.

¡°Our job is to try to put him and anyone in the best position to succeed," Schneider said. "The thoughts we¡¯ve come up with, which have included him in the discussions, we think is for the best. It is hard in a Major League season to try this and try that. We¡¯re trying to suggest things without totally overloading.¡±

This bullpen isn¡¯t a finished product, either. Zach Pop was recently optioned to Triple-A to make room for Mayza¡¯s return, but he looked good early in his Blue Jays tenure and should be back when rosters expand. Nate Pearson is beginning to build up with bullpen sessions in Florida and hard-throwing prospect Yosver Zulueta could be another late option if either is healthy in time to contribute.

Toronto didn¡¯t add the elite-level reliever many expected at the Deadline, but so far, the arms it did add have been contributing. The Blue Jays' depth allows them to play the matchup game as well as any club, especially if they grab early leads, and this past week has been a look at the best-case scenario for the weeks ahead.