Finally, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got under one and hit it a long way.Beside home plate at Progressive Field, Guerrero Jr. stood and watched as the ball soared down the left-field line. It stayed fair, clearing the wall by a wide margin, and Guerrero Jr. could begin his first home run trot in nearly a month. More importantly, the three-run homer gave the Blue Jays a 6-0 lead and some reason for optimism as they push for the playoffs. That swing — one of three big ones for Guerrero Jr. Wednesday — helped the Blue Jays beat the Guardians 11-0 and climb back to within 1.5 games of Cleveland in the American League wild-card standings.“That was nice,” said manager John Schneider. “I’ve been behind him the entire year and will continue to be, but I think that was a little bit of a deep breath for him and a deep breath for everyone. Hopefully he can stay right there.”Dylan Cease lowered his season ERA to 2.25 with six innings of scoreless baseball, and Josh Smith added a solo home run in the eighth as the Blue Jays improved to 69-71 on the season, but this game was all about Guerrero Jr.In a season of many lows for the 27-year-old, this game was a high point. To this point, the production just hasn’t been there — and ultimately, he’s accountable for those results. Within the last week, he’s heard boos at Rogers Centre.Still, that doesn’t mean it’s been easy for Guerrero Jr. Midway through the season, he tried to work his way out of the slump, taking upwards of 300 swings per day. Later, he opted for rest, skipping the All-Star Game to help with lingering back and hamstring soreness.All the while, the questions about his performance intensified. That’s part of the job at this level — but in ways it’s a new challenge for Guerrero Jr., who has never struggled like this before. Along the way, he’s had to learn new ways to handle these struggles.“He talks to his teammates about it,” Schneider said recently. “He’s open about it.”And the way Schneider sees it, the more Guerrero Jr. talks to his teammates about it, the better. They’re all pulling for him. They all respect him. Lean into it.“And Vlad’s good at lying,” Schneider continued. “He’s good at saying, ‘No, I’m good.’ And you have to keep asking and break down that wall a little bit.”Once you do? “He’s way more honest with me and the guys than probably he leads on to the media,” Schneider said. “But yeah, he’s frustrated for sure. (And) he’s more aware of it probably than you guys know.”If so, the swings Guerrero Jr. took Wednesday must have offered him plenty of relief. Along with the no-doubt home run, he contributed an RBI double that nearly left the park, as well as an opposite-field RBI single.While Guerrero Jr. declined to speak to writers after the game, Schneider expressed confidence that a game like this could provide some momentum for his first baseman.“You never know where the mental game takes you in this long season, you know?” Schneider said Wednesday. “Mentally, you have to be tough, and mentally, you have to focus on what’s important in the moment. And I think Vlad’s doing a good job right now of working on that.”It was the first three-hit game since July 25 for Guerrero Jr., who drove in five, a season best. It’s hard to quantify, but he looked like himself again.Meanwhile, it was with games like this in mind that Cease chose to sign in Toronto, and he enjoyed his first taste of September baseball with his new team.“It felt great,” the right-hander said. “I’m not really trying to think about all that when I pitch. I’m just going out and trying to execute, but yeah, the result definitely makes us happy.”While Cease could have pitched deeper into the game if needed, the Blue Jays removed him after 83 pitches. Not only has he thrown 156.1 innings already, the Blue Jays hope he’ll be pitching many more.“I’m probably still learning how to manage workloads and all that, but that’s why we’ve got Max (Scherzer) here who’s done it for 25 years,” Cease said. “You’ve just got to ask him how to do it.”Most importantly, the Blue Jays won, setting up a massive series finale on Thursday between Tanner Bibee and Jose Soriano. At this point in the season, it’s about the team rather than any individual player.But it’s impossible not to dream about the kind of difference Guerrero Jr. can make if he can stay locked in for a few more weeks. A night like this reminds everyone of the immense potential he still offers.“Whatever has happened isn’t important,” Schneider said. “And what’s going to happen is the most important. So I think Vlad having a firm grasp on that is really, really big for him and really big for us.”