Vlad thrills, but Toronto drops Dunedin finale

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did everything in his power to snap the Blue Jays’ skid, but another late meltdown ended their Dunedin residency with six consecutive losses, each more frustrating than the last.

Guerrero launched two home runs in Monday afternoon’s 14-8 loss, putting him in a tie with Ronald Acuña Jr. for the Major League lead. He put the Blue Jays on his back -- again -- and carried them to extra innings. Then Marcus Semien gave Toronto another breath of life, tying things up in the bottom of the 10th with a two-run blast.

The Rays just kept doing what they do best, though, making all of the right plays in the right moments while avoiding the one big mistake. After trading jabs in that 10th inning, Tampa Bay put up a whopping seven runs in the 11th against Joel Payamps and Tim Mayza, turning one of the tightest games of the Blue Jays’ season into a lopsided loss by a touchdown.

Toronto was forced to play from behind for nearly the entire game, too, after Sunday’s ugly loss spilled right into the first inning on Monday. Trent Thornton, as the opener, loaded the bases and walked in a run, which Travis Bergen did three times to hand the Rays Sunday’s game. Then, Thornton surrendered a grand slam to Joey Wendle, putting the Blue Jays down 5-0 before they even stepped to the plate.

"You know how many teams would quit after we got down 5-0? A lot of teams that I know of. Not this team,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “I'm so proud of this team for coming back and making it into a game until the end. We didn’t stop trying. You’ve got to give these guys credit. Of course we lost, but that’s a good team. When you get a chance to get them, you have to get them. If you give them another chance, they’re probably going to get you, because they’re hot.”

It’s a tough time for moral victories, though, if you’re the Blue Jays. The veterans on this roster understand that streaks will come and go and the younger players are wise beyond their years, but these are competitors and frustration is to be expected. This is a tough balance for someone like Guerrero, especially, who is riding a hot streak but not achieving the team success he’d prefer.

“We go out there and try to win every game. I’ve been talking to the younger guys like [Santiago] Espinal, telling them to keep their heads up,” Guerrero said through a translator. “Let’s keep working hard. Let’s keep going out there to try and win some games. I’m just trying to be a little bit of a leader myself, trying to talk and be vocal while I keep doing what I’m doing. Like I said, we’ll get through this and we’ll be all right.”

Guerrero’s first homer of the day was a moonshot, carrying over the batter’s eye in center and leaving TD Ballpark. At 461 feet, it was the second-longest home run of Guerrero’s career, and with an exit velocity of 117.4 mph, it was tied for the hardest-hit Blue Jays home run measured by Statcast.

That one was friendlier for the highlight reels, but Guerrero’s second was the one that mattered most. With a runner on third and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Guerrero got a slider out over the plate and lifted it in the air. It travelled 384 feet and would be a home run in just two MLB stadiums, according to Statcast, but let’s consider that one last favor from TD Ballpark.

At the time, it looked like the moment that would tip the game, giving the Blue Jays momentum going into extras. It even brought out a show of emotion from Guerrero, who’s been more reserved as a younger player but is flashing his big personality more often in 2021.

“At that moment, we’d already lost three games against Tampa [Bay] and I had the chance to tie it up. It was just a big lift for us, for myself and for the team,” Guerrero said. “We want to go out there and we’re trying to win no matter what. It was a lot of emotions when I hit that homer to tie the game.”

Guerrero’s performance adds yet another trademark game to his breakout season. Coming off two years that failed to meet expectations, the 22-year-old has emerged as one of the best players in baseball, fully realizing the potential that made him the No. 1 prospect two years ago. For the team, though, this is the most deflating loss of the season, even on the heels of Sunday’s bullpen meltdown.