Keeping the opposing team to three runs or less is usually a recipe for success, but that wasn’t the outcome for the Blue Jays in Kansas City on Wednesday night. They endured their second consecutive 3-2 loss to the Royals.
The Jays’ offense, disappointingly lackluster, failed to generate more than five runs for the 16th straight game, marking their longest such streak in 16 years. Their struggles were exacerbated by going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position, plummeting their team average in such crucial situations to a dismal .199 for the season.
While hitting is undoubtedly challenging — if it were easy, someone would likely have achieved a .400 batting average at some point in the past 82 years — optimizing player performance isn’t. Unfortunately, the Jays fell short in this aspect during the sixth inning, squandering a prime opportunity to at least equalize the game.
Trailing 3-1, Daulton Varsho started the inning with a single, and Danny Jansen followed with a walk off left-hander Angel Zerpa, putting the tying runs on base with nobody out and Daniel Vogelbach due up.
Vogelbach hadn’t faced a left-handed pitcher this season and had struggled against them last year, but despite having Justin Turner and Davis Schneider available on the bench, he was sent to face Zerpa and ended up striking out.
Although there was a right-hander warming up in the bullpen who would have been brought in if Vogelbach had been substituted, Turner’s .690 OPS against right-handers is still superior to the combined numbers of George Springer — who had a double and a home run in the loss — Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among others. Additionally, Schneider has been hitting right-handers better than left-handers.
After a wild pitch advanced the runners, Ernie Clement drove in a run with a groundout, and Addison Barger, a left-handed batter who had excelled against lefties in Triple-A with a 1.278 OPS, struck out to end the inning.
The Blue Jays didn’t manage to get another baserunner in the game aside from Turner, who pinch-hit for Clement in the ninth inning against right-hander James McArthur and singled.
Rookie Yariel Rodriguez pitched into the fifth inning for the first time but failed to record an out in the inning. He surrendered all three runs and was saddled with the loss.