TORONTO -- The Blue Jays needed a full-lineup effort Sunday.
They were short-handed from the start, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out for a second straight game with a sore lower back. Shortstop Andrés Giménez was also a last-minute scratch with a sore left wrist, further depleting Toronto’s lineup.
So, for the finale of a three-game series against the Yankees, the Blue Jays rolled out something closer to their "B" lineup and asked their role players to carry a heavier load.
They got pieces of that effort, with six Blue Jays recording hits, but not enough sustained production to overcome a second consecutive stumble by the bullpen during an 8-3 loss.
Toronto still had multiple clutch knocks in the game. First, a run-scoring single from Kazuma Okamoto in the third inning and another from Nathan Lukes in the fourth helped Toronto climb back to tie an early Yankees lead. Another key hit came from Davis Schneider in the sixth inning.
Schneider, recalled from the Minors on Friday, crushed a sinker to straightaway center. The liner carried over Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger and traveled a Statcast-projected 413 feet for a solo shot, his second homer of the season. As the foghorn sounded and Rogers Centre erupted, Schneider crossed home plate and shrugged toward his teammates, as if even he was impressed by the feat.
“It’s been a while for him,” manager John Schneider said of his utility man. “He was a little bit relieved, and that was a big swing, that part of the game. So it was nice to see him put some good swings on the ball.”
Toronto’s late collapse came with an unusual wrinkle. John Schneider was ejected in the eighth inning by home-plate umpire Steven Jaschinski for arguing a balk call, leaving associate manager DeMarlo Hale in charge.
Braydon Fisher entered a tie game in the ninth, and Paul Goldschmidt reached second on a single and an error. The Blue Jays chose not to intentionally walk Ben Rice, and Rice made them pay, launching a go-ahead two-run homer to deep right on a full-count pitch.
“It was a breaking ball, not exactly where [Fisher] wanted to throw it,” John Schneider said. “I think it was a couple pitches that were not where we wanted to be. And it's how that team’s built. They can hit home runs. They hit a lot of them, so you’ve got to give credit to them.”
Toronto’s relievers have carried a heavy workload this season, a strain that showed again Sunday. Blue Jays starter Patrick Corbin lasted just 3 2/3 innings, and the bullpen allowed six runs the rest of the way.
“They've stepped up in a big way,” Corbin said of the bullpen. “And hopefully we as a staff can pitch deeper and give them some opportunities to maybe not work that day.”
Schneider acknowledged that fatigue can turn routine spots into costly ones.
“When you're bringing in a reliever, you're expecting the normal or good version of him in terms of stuff and execution,” the Blue Jays skipper said. “And when you're worked pretty good, that can lead to some mistakes.”
While Toronto fell short in an important series against a division rival, Guerrero’s health remains a top concern for the Blue Jays. He has missed the odd game in parts of eight seasons, but he has never landed on the injured list.
On the bright side, Guerrero grabbed a bat in the ninth inning and was available to pinch-hit if the situation called for it. Ultimately, he wasn’t needed, and Toronto opted for a cautious approach.
The back issue is notable given Guerrero’s recent skid, with just three hits in his last 26 at-bats, but Toronto is hopeful that Monday’s off-day gives him -- and Giménez -- enough time to recover.
“I think after the off-day, they should both be good,” John Schneider said.
Taking in the big picture, Sunday was a missed chance more than a reason for alarm.
“There are so many highs and lows in this game,” Corbin said. “And just to see how people react to that, it just shows there's no panic here, and we're going to continue to fight and grind, and still a long way to go.”
For the Blue Jays, the next step is turning that steadiness into cleaner finishes.