The Blue Jays’ night in Texas went sideways fast, and once it did, there wasn’t much left to salvage in a 7-1 loss to the Rangers.
Dylan Cease never found a rhythm. He was tagged for four runs in the second inning and finished after 2.2 innings, having walked six.
Only one of the four runs against him was earned, with an Ernie Clement throwing error mixed into the mess, but the outing was rough from the start and never really recovered. The game also fit the larger theme the source noted: the pitching staff has been leaned on heavily, and Cease clearly didn’t have “it.”
Toronto had to turn to five relievers from there. Brendan Cellucci stood out, getting four outs without allowing a run.
Jose Rodriguez was steady too, recording five outs while allowing just one hit and striking out two. Brayden Fisher, Brendon Little and Joe Mantiply each surrendered a run, though Little’s was unearned after a Kazuma Okamoto error.
The offense never gave Toronto much to work with. The Blue Jays managed just five hits in all, with two coming from Straw, who also drove in the club’s lone run. Vlad, Kirk and Okamoto each added one hit, and Brett Bateman was held hitless.
As one of the talking heads said, “when a team isn’t hitting it looks listless”.
Straw was named Jay of the Day with a 0.10 WPA.
The other awards went to Cease (-0.28), Bateman (-0.12) and Clement (-0.10).
Next up is a 7:00 Eastern start on Sunday, with José Soriano (12-7, 3.56) set to face Cal Quantrill (9-5, 2.90). The note from the game report was simple: Jose, we are really going to need some innings out of you.
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John Schneider Is Fueling A Blue Jays Debate They Cant Ignore
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For a club with playoff hopes hanging in the balance, every decision carries extra weight, and Schneiders aggressive or unconventional calls are drawing fresh scrutiny because they arrive against the backdrop of ongoing struggles. The question isnt just whether the Blue Jays can play their way back into the race, but whether their managers game management is helping create the path there or adding another layer of frustration. [Read more 🡒]