It took 1 good start for Alek Manoah to blame everyone else for his struggles

Alek Manoah looked like his old self following Sunday afternoon's start against the Minnesota Twins. The former AL Cy Young finalist threw seven innings of three-run ball in his best outing in quite some time.

Manoah, who has spent time at both the Blue Jays spring training facility and in Buffalo at the Jays Triple-A affiliate in hopes of finding the same form he displayed on Monday, even blamed the "outside noise" for his lack of production the last few years.

“There's a lot of outside noise, but I work my tail off every day,” said Manoah. “And, you know, I have great support from all the guys in that clubhouse, and I know they believe in me. So it was just about going out there and doing it.”

The "outside noise" was caused by Manoah himself, who often got into it with fans and opposing players. Whether it be calling out a fan on social media or criticizing Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, Manoah's struggles were largely of his own creation.

Outside noise or not, Alek Manoah was a force for the Blue Jays

Manoah's primary struggles had much to do with his control, or lack thereof in recent years. Against Minnesota, however, he needed just 78 pitches to get through seven innings.

“It’s what we’re used to seeing out of him,” said manager John Schneider. “We've spent a lot of time talking about his pitches and his delivery. I said after his last start: his stuff is there. And I think today he was just in the zone and got on a good roll.”

Toronto's lineup didn't do Manoah any favors, and the Blue Jays cannot rely on one good start as a sign he's fully back. Still, it's the best sign Toronto has had yet that Manoah's best days might not be behind him.

“The biggest thing was just to go out there and attack on every pitch,” Manoah said. “The defense made a ton of great plays behind me … so it’s really encouraging. I just want to throw strikes and let them work.”

Manoah walked just one Twins batter. If he can display that type of control and ownership of the strike zone, his mentality off the mound won't matter nearly as much, even if some of his criticism isn't justified.