3 Takeaways From Blue Jays' 12-0 Loss to Angels
Four seven games in Boston and New York, the Blue Jays made big plays with games on the line. They stranded runners at third, found clutch runs to win games, and handled their divisional opponents for two series wins.
On Friday, those same plays escaped Toronto. The grounders weren't routine, the fly balls went untracked, and they couldn't find a single run on offense.
"It was not our best brand of baseball today," manager John Schneider said. "And that's alright. You know, we've been rolling pretty good, so you just move on to the next one."
Dropping the first contest of a six-game homestand, the Jays fell 12-0 to the Angels. Here are three takeaways from the game:
Early Misplays Sink Jays
The Blue Jays got home from Boston in the early hours on Friday morning and it showed.
In the second at-bat of Friday’s contest, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. dove to his right, snagging a Mike Trout grounder. Attempting to catch the lead runner at second, Guerrero hucked a ball from his knees that sailed into the outfield and earned both Angels a base.
What followed was a homestand’s worth of gaffs packed into two innings—misthrows, bad decisions, misreads in the outfield, and an ill-advised challenge, too. While all seven of the runs starter Mitch White allowed were earned runs, the defense behind did him no favors.
The Blue Jays have been one of baseball's most improved defensive teams in 2022, ranking seventh in team Outs Above Average. But not on Friday.
First Loss In Crucial Stretch
The Blue Jays began a stretch of 12-straight games against sub-.500 opponents earlier this week in Boston. They handled business against the Red Sox, carving out a scratch-and-claw sweep before the Angels halted the run on Friday.
Monday was the classic let-down game. Returning home with a tired bullpen, some uncharacteristic misplays, and an early seven-run deficit, the Jays were sunk early.
"You flush it," Schneider said. "It's one bad day."
The good news is Toronto still has eight games in a row remaining against these sub-.500 teams, and an opportunity to build a safety net in the American League playoff race. With the Rays falling to Boston on Friday, the Jays didn't lose ground on the first AL Wild-Card spot, sitting a half-game back of Tampa Bay.
Hernández Leaves Early
Outfielder Teoscar Hernández was removed from Friday's game after two innings with a left foot contusion, the Blue Jays announced.
A week after fouling a ball off his left foot in New York, Hernández launched another foul tip into the same appendage, leaving him wincing in the batter's box in the second frame.
The right fielder came back out to field in the bottom of the same inning, but missed a deep fly ball from Shohei Ohtani after slowly drifting back and falling short of the out. He was removed after the half-inning and Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the team will see how Hernández feels tomorrow.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon