'Tough loss': Blue Jays fall in 11 after error

TORONTO -- As a routine ground ball rolled towards second base, surely representing the final out of the game, Blue Jays fans began to cheer for a victory and series win. Instead, it started a spiral towards arguably the toughest loss of the Blue Jays’ season.

Marcus Semien’s throw to first was short and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. couldn’t scoop it, allowing a runner to round third and race home to tie the game. It’s a throw you’ll see Semien make 999 times out of 1,000, but this was the “one.” That play doesn’t own the entirety of the blame, though. Like so many of these painful losses to the Mariners, Nationals and Tigers over the past week, Sunday’s 5-3 loss in 11 innings at Rogers Centre was another in a long line of missed opportunities.

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It took a fielding error for the Blue Jays to score their first run of the game, and by the time Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled home the second run, he broke an 0-for-11 streak with runners in scoring position to open the game. The Blue Jays finished the game 1-for-17 in that area, so while the defensive error in the bottom of the ninth will lead the blooper reel, the Blue Jays had more than a dozen opportunities to make that forgettable.

“That was the play, and Marcus would tell you the same thing,” said manager Charlie Montoyo after the loss. “He’s played Gold Glove-caliber second base, he just made an error on that one. We made all the right moves, we were in the game, but it’s obvious we’re not swinging the bats when our pitching is giving us a chance.”

Now back to six games above .500, the Blue Jays find themselves 11 1/2 back in the American League East. The AL Wild Card race is still a different conversation, with the Blue Jays only 4 1/2 games back of the Red Sox and A's for the second Wild Card. But Toronto is also 1 1/2 games behind the Mariners. Not only do the Blue Jays need to make a run, they might need someone to stumble in front of them.

When the dust settles on this series, the Blue Jays will look back at a three-game stretch in which they went 1-for-31 with runners in scoring position and grounded into seven double plays. Without much power to cover it up, the problem was glaring and even multiple baserunners didn’t feel like much of a threat at times.

“It was the same thing for the three games,” Montoyo said, adding that he sees this as a mental issue, not an overarching issue with swings or players. “We were 0-for-25 with runners in scoring position until Gurriel’s hit. Our offense is struggling right now.”

Another troubling theme for the Blue Jays recently is wasted quality starts from their rotation. Steven Matz pitched six innings of one-run ball, and while he only struck out one, the No. 5 starter kept the Tigers in check, lowering his ERA to 3.94. Just like Robbie Ray in the series opener, Matz deserved better.

“That’s a tough loss. We played those guys hard today,” Matz said. “For me, the defense was making amazing plays all day. It’s definitely a tough loss to walk out of here losing a series.”

The loudest cheer of the game was still reserved for Miguel Cabrera, who hit the 500th home run of his career in the sixth inning off Matz, another major milestone for the future Hall of Famer who Montoyo called “one of the best players ever.” A quick groan quickly turned to cheers from the nearly 15,000 fans in attendance, and as Cabrera’s teammates cheered him out of the dugout for a curtain call, the Toronto fans roared in appreciation.

By the time the 11th inning rolled around, though, the energy had been sucked out of Rogers Centre entirely. For a team that’s known for its energy, the Blue Jays are being tested by one of the toughest stretches of their season.

“You have to fight. You have to keep fighting,” Montoyo said. “We’ve got a good group in there. We’re not swinging the bats right now, but we’re in every game right now. We’re not just going out there to lose every game. Today was another tough loss with two outs, and we didn’t make the last play. They’re going to keep fighting. I’m telling you. I promise you that.”

It doesn’t get any easier with the 72-53 White Sox coming to town on Monday for four games. Chicago is running away with the AL Central and doing what the Blue Jays aspire to, so while there’s still over a month left on the calendar, the pressure is growing by the day for the Blue Jays to turn this around.