Dylan Cease gave the Blue Jays exactly what they needed and then some, but it still wasn’t enough. Toronto fell 3-2 to the Cubs in 11 innings, squandering a sharp start and too many chances at the plate.
Cease was dominant from the jump, working seven innings of two-hit ball with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He never really let Chicago settle in. Braydon Fisher kept things moving with a clean, efficient eighth, and for a while it looked like Toronto might ride that pitching all the way through.
Instead, the ninth turned on one swing. Louis Varland entered with a save opportunity, allowed a single to open the inning, then got a fly out to center and a ground out to get within one out of finishing it.
After working Alex Bregman to 1-2, Varland threw a pitch at the bottom of the zone, right down the middle, and Bregman sent it over the left-field wall. It was Varland’s first blown save of the season.
Toronto went quietly in the top of the ninth, then survived a tense tenth. Chase Lee took over and, with the automatic runner already on second, got a fly out before the Cubs intentionally walked the next batter to set up a double play.
A wild pitch wiped that out and put runners on second and third, but Lee still escaped with a strikeout. Carson Kelly then lined a ball up the middle that looked like it might end it, only for Ernie Clement to make a spectacular jumping catch.
The Blue Jays made it to the 11th, where former Blue Jay Trent Thornton was on the mound and Clement started on second. Josh Smith struck out, Jesús Sánchez grounded out, and after an intentional walk, Straw grounded out to end Toronto’s shot.
Brendon Little worked the bottom of the inning. The Cubs opened with a single up the middle, but Straw delivered a strong throw to get the runner at the plate.
That sent the game back to second-base action, with Pete Crow-Armstrong on second and one out. He broke for third, Brandon Valenzuela’s throw came in a little off line, and it skipped past Josh Smith at third.
That was it.
Toronto’s offense did produce two runs, but the bigger story was the missed opportunities. The first came in the opening inning, when Kazuma Okamoto walked with one out, Alejandro Kirk singled, and George Springer forced out at second to move the runners along. Toronto scored on a disengagement violation after David Peterson threw to first three times.
The second run came in the seventh. Andrés Giménez led off with a single, Myles Straw bunted him to second, and after an Okamoto fly out, Kirk singled him home.
That was the extent of the damage, even though the Blue Jays finished with 11 hits and four walks. Kirk had four hits.
Giménez had three. Clement added two.
Straw, Springer and Nathan Lukes each struck out once, while Davis Schneider went 0 for 1 with two walks.
The number that told the whole story: Toronto went 1 for 19 with runners in scoring position. Peterson was bad, but the Jays still couldn’t cash in enough against him. That was the difference.
Jays of the Day went to Cease (0.47), Lee (0.31), Kirk (0.22) and Fisher (0.09).
Other Award went to Varland (-0.41), Straw (-0.28, though the throw from center should take some off that), Springer (-0.29), Lukes (-0.20), Smith (-0.15) and Clement (-0.11). Valenzuela also gets one for the bad throw, and Little had the number too, though that was all from the throwing error.
The Blue Jays head to Philadelphia tomorrow, where they’ll get their first look at José Soriano. Scott Wheeler starts for the Phillies.
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