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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays blew a late lead in their 4-2 loss to the Phillies
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Mar 17, 2025, 16:15 EDTUpdated: Mar 17, 2025, 17:04 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays were in split-squad action on Monday.
They defeated the New York Yankees in Dunedin but fell 4-2 to Jordan Romano and the Philadelphia Phillies, bringing their Spring Training record to 14-9-1. They still sit at the top of the Grapefruit League.
It started off well for the Blue Jays. In the top of the third, Rainer Nuñez hit his first home run of Spring Training to open the scoring. I wrote about him and two other prospects that have stood out here.
Things went from good to great as Davis Schneider hit his second home run of Spring Training, this one coming against big league pitcher Aaron Nola. Getting production from Schenider this season will be huge for the Blue Jays.
It all went downhill from there, though. In the bottom of the fourth, J.T. Realmuto’s RBI double cut the lead in half. The Phillies tied the game in the bottom of the seventh thanks to Dylan Campbell’s RBI single, followed by another runner scoring thanks to a wild pitch. In the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies got an insurance run thanks to Keaton Anthony’s home run, making the game 4-2.

Takeaways…

To add insult to injury, former Blue Jay Jordan Romano picked up the win as he pitched two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout and a hit allowed. The Blue Jays probably should have tendered him.
Blue Jays pitching was okay. Chris Bassitt had the start for the Jays, striking out four batters and allowing an earned run in 5.1 innings pitched. Left-handed reliever Josh Walker pitched two-thirds of an inning of scoreless baseball.
Zach Pop had a rough day, as he pitched two-thirds of an inning allowing two earned runs, and was tagged with a blown save and a loss. Kevin Gowdy pitched a third of an inning, while Hayden Juenger pitched an inning and gave up a home run.
The Blue Jays bats were also quiet except for the two home runs they hit from Rainer Nuñez and Davis Schneider. Joey Loperfido and Nathan Lukes had their other extra-base hits, both doubles, while Schneider and Addison Barger hit a single.
Next up, the Blue Jays head to the Baltimore Orioles Spring Training home to face their American League East rival. Eric Lauer is expected to start for the Blue Jays.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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