Yohendrick Piñango’s three-hit game not enough in Blue Jays’ 5-1 loss to Rays

Three of the Rays’ five runs came in the bottom of the first. Eric Lauer started Monday’s game, and he allowed a lead-off single to Chandler Simpson, then walked Junior Caminero. On the first pitch of the third plate appearance, Ryan Vilade took Lauer deep for the 3-0 lead.

Lauer departed in the fifth, making way for Spencer Miles. The Blue Jays’ 2025 Rule 5 draftee made it out of the fifth unscathed, but gave up a one-out single to Jonathan Aranda. After a strikeout, Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes hit back-to-back singles, loading the bases. John Schneider went to the bench, calling on Mason Fluharty, who gave up a two-RBI single.

Over the next three innings, the Blue Jays got two runners to second base, but were unable to cash them in, ultimately falling 5-1.

Takeaways…

The Blue Jays had their chances to score. In the first, they had two-outs with a runner on first and second, but Ernie Clement grounded out. After their run, they had two on and one out, but Jesús Sánchez grounded out and Clement lined out. In the top half of the sixth, before the Rays tacked on the two insurance runs, the Jays had two more runners on with two outs, but Andrés Giménez grounded out. They had the exact same situation in the top of the ninth.

In the end, the Blue Jays finished with 10 hits, but were 1-8 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10 runners. Every hitter except for Daulton Varsho had a hit, as the left-handed hitter struck out three times.

Their best hitter in this game by far was Yohendrick Piñango. He scored the team’s lone run and hit their lone-extra base hit, his first career double. Overall, the outfielder went 3-5 with no strikeouts. He’s making a strong case to stay in the lineup when the Jays are fully healthy.

Eric Lauer had a tough first inning, giving up a three-run home run. He buckled down after that, allowing just three more hits and a walk in his next three and one-third innings. It’s not ideal for a starter to give up three runs in the first, but this game falls on the offence.

Spencer Miles had a rough game, giving up two earned runs to bring his season ERA to 3.50. With the Jays down by four, they used their low-leverage relievers. Mason Fluharty pitched a third of an inning, Tommy Nance struck out a batter in a scoreless inning, and Joe Mantiply also threw a scoreless inning.

In the end, it wasn’t a great game for the Blue Jays as their record fell to 16-19. With the loss, they are now 9-6 in their last 15, a positive sign that things are turning around despite the injuries. They’ll look to avoid their first series loss in over two weeks, with Tuesday’s game starting at 6:40 PM ET. Kevin Gausman is the Blue Jays’ expected starter.