logo
Instant Reaction: Brett Bateman’s three-hit game not enough as Blue Jays fall in series finale to Royals
alt
Photo credit: © Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Sep 6, 2026, 17:15 EDTUpdated: Sep 6, 2026, 19:23 EDT
Comments
You can’t win ‘em all.
On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays fell 6-1 to the Kansas City Royals, snapping their four-game winning streak and dropping them back down to a .500 record. Let’s take a look at what went wrong in this one.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring in each of the first two games of this series, and even in this game, their first hitter reached thanks to a hit by pitch. However, Nathan Lukes grounded into a double play and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sharply lined out to end the inning.
Spencer Arrighetti started the game for the Blue Jays, and saying it didn’t go great would be an understatement. A lead-off single and walk put two on for the Royals, setting up Vinnie Pasquantino to go deep, putting the Royals up 3-0 early.
After a scoreless second, the Royals added two more runs, as Salvador Perez drove in himself and Bobby Witt Jr. with a two-run blast. In the bottom of the fifth, the Royals tacked on another run thanks to an RBI single, the final batter that Arrighetti faced.
The lone Blue Jays’ run came in the top of the sixth, as Josh Smith hit a solo blast, his fourth since being acquired via trade. They went on to put two more runners on that inning, but a Guerrero Jr. ground out ended the threat. The Blue Jays even got two more runners on with two outs in the top of the seventh, but once again, both were stranded.

Takeaways…

This game was another tough one for Spencer Arrighetti, who gave up his fourth and fifth home runs as a member of the Blue Jays. The stuff is there to be a good starter if he can put it all together, but with the Blue Jays in the position that they’re in, they just can’t have him eating innings. Call up Nolan Perry.
Brett Bateman has saved this team, simply put. Leading off again, the centre fielder reached in all four of his plate appearances, notching three singles and a hit by pitch. The .421 BABIP will normalize at some point, but it’s becoming increasingly clear he’s the centre fielder of the future.
It was a little confusing when the Blue Jays traded for Josh Smith ahead of the trade deadline, but the left-handed hitter has been terrific in his limited plate appearances. Over 44 plate appearances, the utility player has hit four home runs and has been a solid enough defender when called upon.
Even with the loss, the Blue Jays have won three consecutive series and have won seven of their last nine games. Unfortunately, the out of town scoreboard didn’t go in their favour, as the Detroit Tigers were walked off by the Cleveland Guardians for the third time in four games. The Guardians now ahead of the Blue Jays by a full game with 18 games remaining.
Next up for the Blue Jays is a trip to Sacramento, as they take on the Athletics for three games. Monday’s game has a 10:05 PM ET start time and Dylan Cease is the Blue Jays’ expected starter.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
News
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News