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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays’ bats go cold in 2-1 defeat to Rays
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Sep 17, 2025, 22:15 EDTUpdated: Sep 17, 2025, 22:40 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays’ win streak has come to an end.
On Wednesday evening, the Jays played the third of four games against the Tampa Bay Rays, falling 2-1 to move to 89-63. Let’s take a look at what happened in this one.
In the bottom of the first, the Rays took a 1-0 lead as Yandy Díaz hit an RBI down the right field line to cash in Chandler Simpson. The game stood this way until the top of the fourth.
Things started well for the Blue Jays in the top of the fourth, as Davis Schneider drew a lead-off walk, followed by what would’ve been a fielder’s choice had Carson Williams not thrown the ball into the outfield. With runners on the corners and no outs, it looked as if Alejandro Kirk gave the ball a ride to the deepest part of the ballpark, but Simpson robbed him of the home run for a sacrifice fly. That was their best chance to score.
It took the Rays just one more run to win the game. In the bottom of the seventh, Yariel Rodríguez got the first two outs, but allowed a double to Williams, followed by a Simpson grounder that found a hole to score the game-winning run. The Jays didn’t have another base runner.

Takeaways…

While not as good as last Thursday’s start, Kevin Gausman did enough to keep the Blue Jays in the game, going six innings with one earned run allowed. He struck out six, walked two, and allowed six hits in what was ultimately a no-decision.
Yariel Rodríguez was tagged with the loss, giving up back-to-back hits and an intentional walk, but getting out of the inning with the Jays only down one. Tommy Nance pitched the bottom of the eighth, pitching a clean inning.
It was the bats that let the Blue Jays down in this one. They mustered just four hits off Ian Seymour, with their final base runners of the game coming in the top of the sixth thanks to a Davis Schneider single.
Their best chance to win came in the top of the fourth. Not only did Alejandro Kirk get robbed of a three-run home run, but Ernie Clement hit a ground-rule double that probably would’ve scored Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to take the lead. Just brutal.
Clement had two hits, including the lone extra-base hit, while George Springer hit a lead-off single to start the game, and Schneider hit a single to lead off the sixth.
So what about the out-of-town scoreboard? The Detroit Tigers lost, which is a double-edged sword because on one hand, the Jays maintain their four-game lead for the American League crown. On the other hand, the Tigers lost to the Cleveland Guardians, which means that the Blue Jays can’t officially clinch a postseason berth until Friday, which will be an Apple TV+ game.
That was the only game that went the Blue Jays’ way, as the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 10-5, meaning that they are just four games back, five with the tiebreaker. The Boston Red Sox also won, defeating the Athletics 5-4 to move to six games back of the Blue Jays. Still, the Blue Jays are in the driver’s seat, as they need just six more wins, six Yankees’ losses, or a combination of both to clinch the American League East division.
Moreover, the Blue Jays still have a chance to win the series. Thursday’s game is a getaway day, meaning it has a start time of 1:10 PM ET, with Chris Bassitt on the mound for the Blue Jays.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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