CLEVELAND -- Pitching prospects are born to break your heart.

Let’s go back to 2012 and The Lansing Three. Noah Syndergaard, Aaron Sanchez and Justin Nicolino represented the future of the Blue Jays, a trio of aces who would mow through lineups for a decade. But that’s not how this works.

None of the three have sustained the success we once dreamed of. There have been bright and brilliant moments, but those days are gone. As Syndergaard stood atop the mound Thursday at Progressive Field, you could still see the powerful physique and flowing blond hair that once made him New York’s God of Thunder, but the fastball that once lived at 99 mph cruised in at 91, explaining the 6.75 ERA he took to the hill.

It begged for an offensive eruption after Toronto had scored just one run over the past two games, but that never came. Instead, the Blue Jays fell to the Guardians, 4-3, their offense somehow muzzled by an old friend. A late attempt at a rally fell just short in an explosive seventh that saw an incensed George Springer ejected after a strike three call he felt was low. Moments later, manager John Schneider was ejected, both shouting at home-plate umpire Jeremie Rehak long after they’d been tossed.

“What he said, I don’t think warranted an ejection,” Schneider said. “What I said did.”

It was that kind of day, and series, for this offense. There were layers to the frustration, and it started with not hammering Syndergaard.

Predicting a pitcher’s performance is a more exact science than playing the lottery, but that gap feels awfully narrow some days. Just look at Kevin Gausman, who went from one of baseball’s top pitching prospects to being DFA’d and shipped to the bullpen just four years ago. Now he’s the Blue Jays’ ace and a legitimate AL Cy Young contender.

Schneider has caught some of these pitchers. He’s managed some, too.

Fresh out of high school, when Syndergaard arrived at the Blue Jays’ old complex in Dunedin, Fla., he met his first manager. It was Schneider.

“When you’re drawing it up, he was 17 when we signed him and had the delivery of Jonathan Papelbon,” Schneider said. “He had the velo and all of the stuff and was learning a breaking ball. That’s kind of how you draw them up in a lab. A big dude who throws hard and is athletic. Baseball is weird.”

That’s why Schneider strays from absolutes, especially with pitchers.

“Look back at Dustin McGowan. He was supposed to be Roger Clemens. You never really know,” Schneider said. “I learned in the Minors that you never say always and you never say never on guys.”

You see this same story play out over and over again. Nate Pearson was supposed to be another version of Syndergaard’s “Thor,” a factory-made ace with power and frontline potential, but he’s battled injuries and has spent 2023 bouncing in and out of the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Alek Manoah, who allowed four runs over just four-plus innings Thursday, nearly won a Cy Young Award last season and was optioned to the Florida Complex League just 13 starts later.

Even with how Syndergaard’s recent seasons have gone, he still found a way to hold the Blue Jays to just one run over 5 2/3 innings. You saw some of the same issues that have plagued this offense, including the Blue Jays managing to hit a double and two singles in the first inning … and still not score.

In April and May, these struggles to hit with runners in scoring position can be waved off as bad luck, particularly on a roster stacked with so much star power. When it’s Aug. 10, it’s a different story. With runners in scoring position, the Blue Jays rank 25th in batting average (.243) and 28th in OPS (.685) in the Majors. Without these anchors, they’d be an elite team.

Even in a game where they recorded five hits with runners in scoring position, though, only three runs crossed. It doesn’t add up.

There’s no mystery behind Thursday’s frustration after a loss that leaves the Blue Jays seven games back of the Orioles in the AL East and just 1 1/2 games up on the Mariners for the final AL Wild Card spot.

The Blue Jays were beaten by a pitcher who, by every metric, they should have hit, but that’s why even baseball lifers have long given up trying to predict it.