Instant Reaction: Rangers avoid sweep with win over Blue Jays
alt
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Josh Goldberg
Aug 17, 2025, 16:45 EDTUpdated: Aug 17, 2025, 16:53 EDT
The Texas Rangers fended off the sweep, handing the Toronto Blue Jays a 10-4 loss in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
It was another bumpy outing for Blue Jays right-hander José Berrios. The Rangers put a number of balls in play as José Berríos allowed six runs on 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings of work.
The Rangers did an excellent job with seven hits in two-strike counts against Berríos. He struck out two batters and only mustered nine whiffs on 41 swings (22%) on the day.
This outing continued a concerning trend for Berríos since the All-Star break. The 31-year-old has completed six innings just once across six starts in the second half of the campaign and owns a 4.94 ERA over that span.
Former Blue Jay Marcus Semien capped off a strong series, belting his second home run in three games against his old club. Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford also went deep in the victory.
Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi showcased why he’s been among the game’s best pitchers in 2025. Eovaldi kept the Blue Jays off balance throughout his start, as he finished seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits with six strikeouts. The veteran’s 1.76 ERA continues to lead all MLB starting pitchers.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and George Springer all hit a home run, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the victory.

Takeaways

The Blue Jays have to be at least a bit concerned about Berríos. The usually dependable righty has been anything but for the better part of a month. With Shane Bieber’s impending return, it looks like the Blue Jays will make the move to a six-man rotation to start. With his recent performance, it’s not completely unreasonable to look at Berríos as a potential candidate to move to the bullpen if Blue Jays manager John Schneider ultimately decides to scrap the six-man rotation at some point over the next few weeks.
Their lack of a long reliever in the bullpen also reared its head in Sunday’s loss. The Blue Jays had to use Mason Fluharty, Brendon Little, and Yariel Rodríguez in a game that was out of hand. The deployment could leave Schneider a bit shorthanded for the upcoming series in Pittsburgh.
The Blue Jays are off to beautiful PNC Park for a three-game series beginning Monday night against the Pirates. Things won’t get any easier in terms of the opposing pitcher, as the Blue Jays will face Pirates’ superstar righty, Paul Skenes, in the series opener.