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Instant Reaction: Diamondbacks take series as Blue Jays bullpen falters again
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Photo credit: © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Tristan Morgan
Apr 19, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 19, 2026, 06:50 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays came into Saturday night’s game at Chase Field looking to bounce back after a gut-punch 6–3 loss on Friday. Instead, they got a gut-punch of a different variety, this time delivered by Corbin Carroll in the eighth inning, when a 3–1 fastball from Jeff Hoffman scraped over the left-centre wall to break open what had been an incredibly competitive ballgame and send the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6–2 victory.
It’s now back-to-back losses to Arizona to open this series, and at 7–13, the hole keeps getting deeper.
Max Scherzer got the ball in this one and had been through a rough stretch heading into Saturday, carrying a 9.58 ERA through his first three starts of the season.
The veteran right-hander responded with his best performance of the young year, returning to the ballpark where his professional career began nearly 20 years ago after being drafted 11th overall by Arizona in 2006 and debuting there in 2008. Scherzer delivered six solid innings on just 74 pitches, allowing five hits, two runs, one walk, and striking out one. It was a competitive night for the 41-year-old, putting the Jays in a good spot to win heading into the latter stages of the game. 
Zac Gallen was effective on the other side as well, surrendering nine hits but only two runs across 5 2/3 innings. However, his slider — which he throws 25.9% of the time with a 34.9% whiff rate — wasn’t playing quite how he’d hoped, as the Blue Jays were able to tie the game in the sixth inning thanks to some tenacious at-bats and a bit of fortune.
With Eloy Jiménez on first and one out, Andrés Giménez appeared to ground into an inning-ending double play, but replay overturned the call after showing Geraldo Perdomo had come off the bag at second, giving the Blue Jays a second life. Kazuma Okamoto broke out of a 3/31 slump and made the most of that extended inning, lining a two-out RBI single to tie the game at two and chase Gallen.
With the game knotted at two heading into the bottom of the eighth, Hoffman — to the surprise of many — began his jog to the mound.
In this situation, with the lineup due to flip over to the top half, you go with your best. Right now, that pitcher would be Louis Varland, who has started the season with 11 scoreless innings. However, Hoffman was sent in and got into trouble almost immediately. Ildemaro Vargas led off with a single, extending his major-league-leading hitting streak to 17 games. Alek Thomas followed with a base hit, and Ketel Marte drew an easy four-pitch walk to load the bases. Then, the gut-punch came as Carroll connected on a middle-middle heater, sending a drive to left-centre for his third home run of the season and fourth career grand slam. Just like that, a tight game became a comfortable 6–2 Arizona lead. Juan Morillo then picked up his first career major league win by retiring the Blue Jays over the final 1⅓ innings.
Following the game, John Schneider addressed the question on everyone’s mind that can be summed up in seven letters: Hoffman.
When prompted about the situation per Keegan Matheson from MLB.com, Schneider stated, “I know there may be people who don’t want to hear this, but I’ve got a lot of trust and confidence in Jeff Hoffman,” and, “If there’s a situation to close out a game, I’ll take Jeff Hoffman.” Obviously, Schneider has to maintain integrity in this situation and cannot voice every frustration he may have; he simply has to support his players. 
While Hoffman has the potential to be that All-Star closer everyone wants him to be (he is in the 99th percentile in Chase %, Whiff %, and K%), no player has blown more saves than Hoffman since he joined the Blue Jays, and with the way Varland has been pitching, the closing workload should be his to lose for now.
In other news, Daulton Varsho, who left Friday’s game in the third inning, was held out of the starting lineup on Saturday. Matheson reported that the discomfort runs from Varsho’s quad down into his knee, something he had felt prior to Friday’s game. No MRI is currently scheduled, and Schneider described him as day-to-day.
However, Myles Straw filled in admirably in centre field, hitting his first home run of the season — a sharp drive down the left field line — and finishing the night with two hits. On the other side, former Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr. made his long-awaited season debut for Arizona after tearing his ACL last September, going 0-for-4 but showcasing his arm by throwing out Straw trying to take an extra base in the fourth inning.
Six straight series losses for the first time since August 2012 and a 1-7 road record paint a difficult picture for a team that was hoisting a pennant late last month. The countless injuries to the team have undeniably taken their toll, and the hope is that the reinforcements arrive sooner rather than later, with Trey Yesavage potentially making his next start with the big-league squad and Addison Barger and Jose Berrios later this month. Kevin Gausman takes the mound Sunday afternoon in the series finale, taking on Ryne Nelson, giving the Blue Jays a genuine opportunity to salvage a game before heading to Anaheim to end this series on a higher note than last night.

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