The cool evening air at Rogers Centre last night carried with it the hopes of Blue Jays fans, only to see those hopes drift away in the ninth inning when the Milwaukee Brewers unleashed back-to-back home runs to secure a 4-1 victory over Toronto.
I was sitting along the first base line, notebook in hand, watching what had been a pitchers’ duel for most of the game. The crowd of 28,763 remained engaged through eight tightly contested innings, but collectively slumped when Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich connected for consecutive homers off Blue Jays reliever Chad Green.
“That ninth inning was brutal,” said longtime fan Melissa Torres, who was attending her fourteenth game this season. “Green has been so reliable for us, but baseball can turn on a dime.”
Toronto’s starter Kevin Gausman delivered a quality performance, allowing just two runs over six innings while striking out seven Brewers. His counterpart, Freddy Peralta, was equally impressive, surrendering just one run through seven innings of work.
“I executed my game plan pretty well tonight,” Gausman told reporters in the clubhouse afterward. “But this is a team sport, and sometimes things don’t break your way.”
The Blue Jays’ lone run came courtesy of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who drove in Bo Bichette with a sharp single in the third inning. The hit extended Guerrero’s hitting streak to seven games, one of the few bright spots in Toronto’s recent offensive struggles.
According to Sportsnet stats, the Blue Jays have now scored three or fewer runs in 11 of their last 15 games. This offensive drought has coincided with their slide in the AL East standings, now sitting 18 games behind the division-leading Yankees.
Former Blue Jays pitcher and current Rogers Sportsnet analyst Pat Tabler pointed out during the broadcast that Toronto’s approach at the plate has become increasingly passive. “They’re taking too many hittable pitches early in counts,” he noted.
I spoke with hitting coach Guillermo Martinez before the game about these struggles. “We’re working through some mechanical adjustments with several guys,” he explained. “It’s a process, and we’re seeing positive signs in batting practice that haven’t consistently translated to games yet.”
The Brewers, meanwhile, continue their impressive road trip, having won four of their last five games away from American Family Field. Manager Pat Murphy praised his team’s resilience after the game.
“Our guys stayed with it all night,” Murphy said. “Peralta gave us a chance, and then Chourio and Yelich delivered the knockout punch.”
For Toronto fans leaving the stadium, conversations centered around what comes next for a team that entered the season with playoff aspirations but now faces mathematical elimination in the coming weeks.
“I still come to support them,” said Paul Williams, a season ticket holder since 2016. “But it’s tough watching opportunities slip away like this.”
The series continues tomorrow afternoon with Yusei Kikuchi scheduled to take the mound for Toronto against Milwaukee’s Colin Rea. For manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays, it represents another chance to right the ship in what has become an increasingly difficult season.
Walking through the concourse after the final out, I overheard a father explaining to his young son, “That’s baseball, buddy. Sometimes the ninth inning breaks your heart, but we’ll be back tomorrow.”
In a season where bright spots have been increasingly hard to find, perhaps that enduring optimism is what keeps the lights on at Rogers Centre, even as September looms with more questions than answers for this Blue Jays squad.
The Toronto Baseball Network reported earlier this week that attendance has dropped nearly 12% from last season, reflecting the team’s on-field struggles. However, the organization remains committed to finishing the season strong, according to team president Mark Shapiro.
As the two teams prepare for tomorrow’s matchup, the Blue Jays will once again search for the offensive spark that has eluded them through much of August—hoping, like that young fan, that tomorrow brings better results.
