Two future Hall of Famers took to the mound, and one emerged victorious. When the dust settled, it was Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers who won the game, with Max Scherzer being credited with the loss despite a strong outing in the 5-1 defeat.

The Dodgers threatened in the first inning, with Scherzer loading the bases with two outs on the board. Former Blue Jay Teoscar Hernandez was at the plate, and the veteran arm was able to get the right-handed slugger to strike out swinging, ending the frame. The NL West squad almost put a crooked number on the board on a Will Smith line drive to left field, but Davis Schneider was able to track the ball down and contain the runners on the base paths.

Toronto countered in the second inning with their lone run of the game. Bo Bichette doubled to start the inning, and Addison Barger would bring him home, singling up the right side on a Kershaw curveball. The Jays would load the bases as well following singles from Ty France and Daulton Varsho, but the Dodgers starter would get Myles Straw to ground into a double play, ending that threat.

Los Angeles would find their way onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a Mookie Betts two-run home run. An 85 MPH slider from Scherzer caught a big portion of the zone, and Betts would deposit the offering over the left field wall, travelling 389 feet. The Dodgers would add the remaining three runs in the bottom of the seventh, this time with Brendon Little on the mound. Two walks, a single, and a fielder’s choice would score a close run at the plate, a tag play that would be reviewed by the Blue Jays but would be upheld. Newcomer Louie Varland would take over, walking the first batter he saw (with two borderline pitches being called a ball, one of which was actually a strike per the Gameday strikezone) to plate one run, and a sac fly from Hernandez would score the last run of the night, making it 5-1.

Overall, the Blue Jays’ bats put up 10 hits and one walk on the day but struggled to find ways to bring the runners in, leaving seven on base and going 2 for 8 with RISP. While the Dodgers had a worse RISP number (1-8) and more players left on base (eight), the six walks they generated ended up coming back to bite the Jays and were the ultimate difference maker. Varsho and France both posted multi-hit games, the centre fielder going 3 for 4 at the plate, while Barger plated the lone RBI.

Scherzer’s final line would end with six innings, six hits, two earned runs, three walks, and five strikeouts, with his ERA standing at 4.21. Mason Fluarty would work the eighth inning, tossing a clean frame with a strikeout thrown in for good measure, following Little and Varland.

Toronto will now look to find its way back into the win column following the Rockies series and sway the series back in its favour on the West Coast. Chris Bassitt will be tasked with the start, slated for 9:10 PM EST. Opposite him will be southpaw Blake Snell, who is making his second start in the big leagues following his return from the IL last week. After last night’s loss and the Boston Red Sox besting the San Diego Padres, the Jays have a three-game lead over their AL East rival within the division.

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