ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Simply put, the Blue Jays don’t have much going on offensively.
That might change relatively soon — it should, in fact. But in the meantime, games like this are going to happen more often than they might like.
Back at the newly restored but still exasperating Tropicana Field for the first time since 2024, the Blue Jays scored just once on the way to a 5-1 loss that brings their season record to 16-19.
Despite a new-look batting order that featured Daulton Varsho at designated hitter for the first time this season and Yohendrick Piñango in the leadoff spot for the second day in a row, the Blue Jays had trouble making loud contact against starter Nick Martinez and the four relievers who followed.
“You need a timely hit if you’re not going to slug,” manager John Schneider said. “We didn’t get that. They obviously did — and that was the difference.”
Piñango contributed three hits while No. 2 hitter Kazuma Okamoto walked and singled to continue his hot streak, but otherwise the visiting lineup stayed quiet. A ninth-inning rally loaded the bases and forced the Rays to bring in closer Bryan Baker, but it all added up to just one extra-base hit and one run on ten hits.
A day after being removed from the game due to an at-bat he later described as “trash,” catcher Tyler Heineman was on the bench. Since Schneider removed him late Sunday, it was no surprise to see Brandon Valenzuela get the start while Heineman prepared for his next start.
Behind the scenes, Alejandro Kirk’s expected to start swinging a bat soon, a significant step as he works his way back from a fracture in his left thumb. In the meantime, Valenzuela contributed a hit while catching a would-be base stealer.
Meanwhile, George Springer continues making progress after fouling a ball off his broken left toe Saturday. In fact, he stepped out onto the field to pinch hit in the ninth inning before a double play erased a baserunner and led Schneider to hold Springer back a little longer.
“Hopefully he’s good tomorrow,” Schneider said. “He should be.”
The manager also indicated that Addison Barger is expected to be activated by Friday, at which point the Blue Jays will have a tough decision to make about which position player comes off the roster. While Piñango has options, he’d be tough to remove from the lineup at a time that he’s hitting so well.
“I love the way he’s controlling the zone, and I love the intent with which he’s swinging,” Schneider said. “His approach was really good … he’s just doing what he’s good at. I like that he’s not getting cheated. Going for it is a good thing.”
For a player who watched the Blue Jays on TV while they played in the World Series last fall, contributing at the highest level has been a meaningful experience.
“I feel so happy,” Piñango said in comments translated by teammate Lenyn Sosa. “Right now I’m motivated to try to stay here and keep working hard.”
As for the Blue Jays’ pitching, it was solid if unspectacular on Monday. Starter Eric Lauer pitched into the fifth inning while allowing three earned runs, all of which came on a Ryan Vilade three-run homer in the first inning.
“It’s tough to dig out of a 3-0 hole, but I thought after the first he did a good job of getting ahead and a good job of staying ahead,” Schneider said.
Reflecting on the performance from outside of the visiting clubhouse after the game, Lauer lamented the early homer but said he was pleased with how he rebounded with his command, fastball, curveball and change-up.
“I wish I would have had those first few pitches back,” he said. “But I was able to stay locked in and get rolling a little bit.”
The left-hander sat 90.3 m.p.h. with his fastball Monday, and he wants to see that number climb. With that in mind, he intends to throw a ‘velo pen’ this week — basically a bullpen session in which he’ll try to max out his velocity, “really try to rip it” by “building the power from the ground up.”
After Lauer’s exit, the Blue Jays’ bullpen kept it close, allowing two more runs over 3.2 innings of work to allow for the possibility of a comeback.
It didn’t happen this time, so the Blue Jays fall to 92-145 all-time at Tropicana Field. But lopsided though those results are, Schneider dismissed the notion that the stadium has anything to do with the outcome.
“If you play into that narrative, it gets you even more,” he said. “They’re a good team. It’s not the Trop, it’s not the building, it’s not the turf, it’s not the roof, it’s not the lights, it’s not anything. They’re a good team. You’ve got to play better is the bottom line.”
