Offense squanders more stellar pitching, defense in walk-off loss

May 15th, 2024

BALTIMORE -- There are losses within these losses.

If the Blue Jays were a young team on the rise, so many of these positives could be pointed forward, planted as seeds for tomorrow. The Blue Jays are built to win now, though, and at 19-23, there have been too many remarkable moments left behind.

Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Orioles was a gut punch as they watched Adley Rutschman’s walk-off home run scrape over the right field wall. These Orioles may never be swept again, their 105-series sweepless streak now spanning exactly two calendar years. This finally felt like the moment that incredible streak would fall with the Blue Jays doing so many things well Wednesday … but not everything.

“That’s a really good team and we held them in check offensively,” manager John Schneider said. “There were a lot of encouraging things. It’s tough to really win two against that team when you don’t score a bunch. There were a lot of good signs between our pitching, our defense and the way we got a really good pitcher out after four innings today.”

Therein lies the heartbreak of it all.

The Blue Jays rank 29th in runs scored (152), better than only the White Sox. They are tied for 26th in home runs (35), just over half as many as the league-leading Orioles (64).

Until this changes, the shrapnel of this offense will leave so much behind.

1. was brilliant in relief. He entered in a one-run game with runners on second and third and no outs, but slammed the door shut to keep the Blue Jays ahead. If you count the relievers pitching better than García right now, you can keep that second hand in your pocket.

2. struck out nine batters over his 4 1/3 innings, an outing shortened by his fast-rising pitch count that was otherwise dominant. Kikuchi owns a 2.60 ERA and is playing the best baseball of his life, but the Blue Jays are 3-6 in his starts.

3. and made the defensive play of the game in the eighth inning, another moment that felt like it would seal a win. With runners on the corners and one out, the Orioles put on the squeeze play. Guerrero fielded the bunt up the line just as it was about to roll foul. It was an extremely aggressive, split-second play, but Vladdy delivered a strike to Jansen, who tagged out the runner. A simply exceptional play.

4. drove in both runs with a double to right field. He had two hits Wednesday, five in the series and 10 over the last six games. He’s hitting the ball harder in May than he has in any single month in his career. Bo is back.

5. John Schneider pulled the right strings in the bullpen, even with the move from Kikuchi looking bold at the time. Zach Pop nailed his assignment, and after Génesis Cabrera stumbled, Schneider had García -- now the ultimate weapon -- ready to deploy in the game’s biggest moment.

All of these things … lost in the loss.

There will always be performances like these left behind, but they feel particularly pronounced this season. The Blue Jays are an excellent defensive team, and after some early turbulence in the rotation, this group has looked so much better, led by Kikuchi and a dominant José Berríos. When the offense doesn’t support those performances, it all feels out of sync.

“You need to capitalize when you get traffic like that. When you have the lead, you need to add on,” Schneider said. “[Davis] Schneider had a good at-bat [with the bases loaded] but hit it right at the left fielder. You have to keep padding your lead and make the game a little bit easier to maneuver later.”

Bichette liked the way his team competed against the Orioles and two very good starters in Corbin Burnes and Kyle Bradish -- which is a start -- but the Blue Jays need that to translate into actual production more consistently.

“We’ve played with more life,” Bichette said. “Not just in this series, but back home against Minnesota, too. There’s just a bit more energy, no matter what the score was or the point in the game.”

Seasons like García’s and Kikuchi’s don’t happen every year. Plays like Vladdy’s don’t happen every day. It’s up to the offense to have those moments remembered in wins, not forgotten in losses.