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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays can’t overcome early deficit in 8-6 loss
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 24, 2026, 22:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 24, 2026, 22:28 EDT
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There are certainly positives to take away from that game.
On Friday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays returned home to host the Cleveland Guardians, ultimately falling 8-6. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
Max Scherzer started Friday’s game looking for his 3,500th career strikeout. He didn’t strike out the first batter he faced, as Daniel Schneemann hit his third home run of the season and his 20th of his career. It also happened to be his fifth home run against the Blue Jays. 
After getting Chase DeLauter to ground out, José Ramírez drew a six-pitch walk to give the Guardians some traffic. A pop out gave Scherzer two outs in the top of the first, but Rhys Hoskins hit a single to put runners on the corners. 
Then George Valera hit a double to drive in two. Things went from bad to worse, as Ángel Martínez hit a two-run home run to make it 5-0 Guardians before the Blue Jays even had a chance to bat.
Leading off the bottom of the first was Nathan Lukes, ripping a 1-1 pitch into the right field corner. Unfortunately, Lukes appeared to be injured and was pulled from the game due to left hamstring discomfort.
A flyout brought Davis Schneider, who pinch ran for Lukes, to third base. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out, but the Jays got on the board. Then Jesús Sánchez hit his second home run of the season with a 422 foot blast.
Scherzer had some traffic in the top of the second, but got out of it unscathed. In the bottom of the second, Daulton Varsho kicked off the bottom of the second with a ground out, bringing Kazuma Okamoto to the plate. The third baseman hit his fourth big league home run to cut the lead to 5-3.
The Guardians restored their four-run lead in the top of the third. Hoskins drew a lead-off walk, and after generating a ground ball out, Martínez hit his second home run of the game to make it 7-3.
There was no scoring in the fourth inning, but the Blue Jays got a run in the bottom of the fifth. Schneider drew a walk and Clement doubled him in to cut the lead to 7-4. The Guardians responded with a run of their own in the top of the sixth thanks to a fielder’s choice. In the bottom half of the sixth, a Lenyn Sosa single and Okamoto walk put two runners on. Andrés Giménez proceeded to hit his fifth double of the season to bring the Blue Jays to within two again.
It looked for a second like they were going to find a way to tie the game, as the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth reached. However, Eloy Jiménez grounded into a double play and Schneider flew out to end the game.

Takeaways…

In the bottom of the first inning, Nathan Lukes was taken out of the game due to left hamstring soreness. With how many injuries that the Blue Jays have faced this early in the season, losing one of their hottest hitters would be a big loss.
The big question after Friday evening is what do you do with Max Scherzer? With both Trey Yesavage and José Berríos on the brink of return, is it time to cut bait with the 41-year-old veteran? Do you move him to the bullpen? Does he get one more start? Scherzer needs just one more strikeout to reach 3,500, and perhaps that’s why he was left out as long as he was.
Had Scherzer been pulled earlier, it seems plausible that the Blue Jays would complete the comeback and win this game. At least the bullpen had a solid game. Joe Mantiply allowed two hits, but struck out a batter in a scoreless inning and two-thirds. Spencer Miles was the lone reliever to give up a run, striking out two in two innings of work.
Tommy Nance deserves a spot on this team as a low-leverage reliever to use when trailing or in garbage time. He struck out the side in the top of the seventh. Mason Fluharty struck out two in a clean inning of work, his second consecutive strong outing. Braydon Fisher had a nice bounce back game, giving up a walk but throwing a scoreless innings.
Dating back to last Sunday, the Blue Jays are starting to do things that made them so successful last season. On Friday, they slugged, hitting two home runs and three doubles. Clement’s double was his 11th of the season, what a start he’s off too.
It was good to see both Jesús Sánchez and Kazuma Okamoto go deep. This was Sánchez’ first home run since April 11th, while Okamoto has seemingly adjusted to the adjustments the pitchers have made. This homer was on a 97.4 mph fastball, it’s good to see him catch up to velocity.
The Blue Jays are back in action on Saturday afternoon at 3:07 PM ET. Kevin Gausman is expected to start.
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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