Blue Jays Eliminated From Playoff Contention After 4-2 Loss to Orioles

 

Blue Jays Eliminated From Playoff Contention After 4-2 Loss to Orioles


After coming close to winning the World Series last year, the Toronto Blue Jays will not return to the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The elimination became official Wednesday in Baltimore.

What happened in Baltimore

The 4-2 loss to the Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader mathematically ended Toronto's postseason hopes with four games remaining. Both teams had entered the doubleheader one loss from elimination.

Pete Alonso was a big part of the outcome. He hit his 41st home run of the season, and Chris Bassitt took a shutout into the sixth inning. Alonso's two-run shot in the fifth pulled him even for the AL lead in homers.

Toronto starter Max Scherzer took the loss. He allowed four runs and four hits in five innings, striking out seven, in the 500th appearance of his career. A baserunning sequence in the second inning also stood out, when the Blue Jays chased a runner in a rundown and allowed Colton Cowser to score from third.

The Jays finish without a playoff berth

The Blue Jays are 77-81, and the best they can do now is finish .500. That would come a season after they pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series. Toronto still has games left: another one in Baltimore on Wednesday, then a weekend series at home against the Cincinnati Reds.

Why the season fell apart

Injuries to the rotation. Toronto began the season with eight starting pitchers, but injuries to Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios left the rotation shorthanded early.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s down year. The struggles of Guerrero may be the biggest reason for the lost season. He had been a star in last year's run, when he won ALCS MVP and hit eight home runs with 15 RBI in 18 playoff games. This year has been very different: as of Wednesday morning he was slashing .263/.336/.359 with nine home runs and 56 RBI in 141 games, about eight percent below league average, in the first season of his 14-year, $500 million contract.

A lineup that never got going. The problem wasn't only Guerrero. Several other Blue Jays performed well below last year's offensive output, making it hard to build momentum or outscore the pitching depth issues.

The final blow came earlier in the week

The odds were already long before Wednesday. After a 4-3 loss to Baltimore on Monday, Fangraphs put Toronto's playoff odds at 1.1 percent. That game was a missed opportunity: the Jays scored three in the first inning but gave up a late lead.

What's next for Toronto

  • Scherzer's future. With his future uncertain, the 42-year-old right-hander could come back on short rest to pitch again Sunday in the season finale.
  • Guerrero's rebound. Whether he returns to his 2025 form will shape how the team approaches the offseason.
  • Rotation health. Injuries hit the rotation from the start of the year, and depth will be a priority heading into 2027.

Key takeaways

  • Toronto lost 4-2 to Baltimore in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader and was officially eliminated.
  • The Jays are 77-81 and can finish no better than .500.
  • Injuries and offensive slumps, especially Guerrero's, undid a team that was one win from a title last year.
  • Toronto plays its final games this weekend against the Reds.

Sources: reporting from The Associated Press (via AM800), TSN, Yahoo Sports and Yardbarker. Records and standings change daily, so check the latest before quoting.

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