The Toronto Blue Jays scored three runs in the first inning on Monday night in Baltimore. RBI singles from Nathan Lukes and George Springer, plus a Sean Keys sacrifice fly, staked Toronto to a three-run lead against Orioles starter Shane Baz.
The offense did not score again. Pete Alonso drove his 40th home run of the season over the wall to give Baltimore the lead for good. The 4-3 loss dropped Toronto’s elimination number to two with five games remaining.
The result was painful. But buried inside the loss was a development that gave the Blue Jays something they have not had in weeks. A reason for optimism on the mound.
Yesavage Returns and Delivers
Trey Yesavage pitched in the majors for the first time since August 4. He had been out since early August after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, an injury that occurred while he was warming up before a start in Houston.
Yesavage took the mound at Camden Yards and looked like himself. He threw two innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. The lone blemish was a solo home run to Alonso, who went deep twice on the night.
“Felt normal,” Yesavage said after the game. “Liked the splitter, I thought I had really good command of it. Same with the heater, the slider. Just felt like I had everything whenever I wanted it, so was very pleased with how it went.”
Bad News on the Injury Front
The loss was compounded by another injury.
Center fielder Brett Bateman exited in the second inning after going down hard on a diving play in the outfield. The team described it as right hip discomfort. Imaging ruled out a fracture, and Schneider said he would be evaluated on a day-to-day basis.
The Blue Jays are running out of healthy bodies and running out of games.
Final Word for the Blue Jays
The evening did not cooperate. The offense disappeared after the first inning. Another loss moved the elimination number closer to zero.
But Yesavage’s return is proof that even in a season slipping away, there are still things worth building on.
Blue Jays’ Trey Yesavage Gives Honest Assessment After Injury Return