Yesavage 'out of whack' in loss to Padres -- but is Vladdy back on track?

SAN DIEGO -- Saturday’s game offered plenty of opportunities to pull out your phone and read about who the Blue Jays had taken in the early rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft.

The 8-7 loss turned into a better ballgame late, but the early innings were bogged down by walks and poor pitching performances on both sides, including Trey Yesavage matching his career high in walks.

This is what mattered most from the loss, which dropped the Blue Jays to 45-50.

1. Yesavage completely lost control

You won’t see many lines like this one. Yesavage walked seven batters over just 1 2/3 innings of work. He threw 59 pitches, but just 20 strikes and at one point threw 10 balls in a row. It’s a miracle that he was only charged with four runs.

This is the most challenging day we’ve seen Yesavage have in the big leagues. These big walk totals have been an issue a handful of times this season, though, with totals of five, six and now his second start with seven. Part of this is Yesavage having “off” days with his control, but it also points to certain teams having a very conscious approach against him.

Yesavage’s main issue? Posture. He’s leaning too far back in his delivery, which is already very upright.

“I’m just leaning back too far and it makes everything get out of whack,” Yesavage said. “I fly open.”

It may be easy enough to lay off Yesavage’s slider or even his great splitter, if that was the plan going in. The most worrying number in this start was that only six of his 21 fastballs were strikes. At the very least, Yesavage needs to be able to get that pitch in the zone early in the counts. If he’s stuck in 3-1 counts, it’s awfully easy for hitters to watch that splitter tumble down and out of the zone for ball four instead of swinging over the top of it.

“If you get out of whack a bit, you’ve got to reel it in pretty quickly,” manager John Schneider said. “He’ll have some time over the break to fix it and get back to what he’s good at.”

2. That looked like Vladdy …

Earlier this season, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said that he wouldn’t feel like he’s “back” until he hit a home run that he could enjoy himself. That means a no-doubter, one that allows him to stand in the box and admire the moment until it comes crashing down over the left-field wall. Well, that’s exactly what happened in the sixth inning.

Guerrero turned on a 96.4 mph sinker from Bradgley Rodriguez and hit it 385 feet to left field, a three-run shot to tie the game. There was no need to run down the line, either. It was gone the moment Guerrero made contact.

“That’s a good sign,” Schneider said. “There’s been some encouraging signs with him and encouraging signs with a lot of guys, really. That’s the kind of thing he can do.”

This is just Guerrero’s sixth of the season, and there have still been plenty of at-bats lately that look nothing like Vladdy at his best, but this is progress. Guerrero has been pulling the ball in the air more recently, and when you combine that with the fact he’ll be able to rest his nagging back injury over the All-Star break, it feels like this is moving in the right direction … finally.

3. Jonatan Clase, the pleasant surprise

After homering in San Francisco, outfielder Jonatan Clase launched another one Saturday night in San Diego, this time a two-run shot.

When Clase stuck around on the roster and the Blue Jays decided to option Yohendrick Piñango instead, it felt like Clase would slide into a reserve role with scarce reps. He’s making the most of his opportunities, though, and forcing Schneider to keep giving him more opportunities. Until Jesús Sánchez (ankle) returns, the door is wide open for Clase.

His physical gifts are obvious, including what might be the best speed on the big league roster. Now, the Blue Jays are trying to refine that, especially on defense. They will take upside anywhere they can find it, though, and in Clase’s case, Schneider is showing that he’s willing to ride the hot hand.