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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays match season-high six-game losing streak
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 29, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 29, 2026, 10:11 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays’ season is starting to slip away.
Entering Sunday afternoon’s game on a five-game losing streak, they were looking to salvage a measly win against the Texas Rangers in the series finale. They couldn’t even do that, falling 3-2 to move their season record to 39-45 and extend their losing streak to six games.
For the seventh consecutive game, the Blue Jays gave up a run in the top of the first inning. On the first pitch of the ball game, Joc Pederson took Shane Bieber deep. Bieber then proceeded to load the bases, but got a force out at home plate, then struck out Evan Carter to escape the inning.
The rest of Bieber’s outing was solid. No runner made it past first base for the next four innings, including a fifth inning where he struck out the side, picking up his 1,000th career strikeout in the process.
In the bottom half of the fifth, the Rangers got the first two outs, but Andrés Giménez hit a single, then George Springer reached on an error. During Nathan Lukes’ at-bat, a throwing error by the Rangers’ catcher allowed both runners to advance 90 feet, but Lukes struck out to end the inning.
Bieber finally ran into some trouble in the top of the sixth, giving up a lead-off walk to Brandon Nimmo. Ezequiel Duran hit a one-out single to put two on, spelling the end of Bieber’s start. Replacing him was Adam Macko, who walked his first batter then gave up a single, giving the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Fast forward to the bottom of the eighth, Springer hit a one-out single to give the Blue Jays a base runner. Up stepped Lukes, who hit a two-run shot to tie the game up at two.
Louis Varland entered in the top of the ninth, striking out the first two batters he faced. Unfortunately, he surrendered a double to Josh Jung, who scored from second on a wild pitch to give the Rangers a late lead. The Jays couldn’t get anything going in the bottom of the ninth, as the Rangers swept the four-game series.

Takeaways…

This really felt like the nail in the coffin to the Blue Jays’ World Series aspirations. They sit just two and a half games back of the final wild card spot, but at no point this season have the Blue Jays been good, at least on a consistent basis. The Jays have shown glimpses here and there, but they are now sit six games back of .500.
Simply put, this home stand has been a disaster for the team. They crawled back to .500 in the first game against the Houston Astros, but blew a ninth-inning lead to fall back behind .500, and everything has spiraled from there.
Bieber’s start wasn’t bad at all, giving up two earned runs in five and one-third innings, though he walked four. He pitched well enough for the team to win, as did Adam Macko, Jeff Hoffman, and Louis Varland. Hoffman in particular, has been great in June, giving up just two earned runs over 12 innings of work.
But as has been the case throughout the season, if pitching has done well, the Jays offence has gone cold. They mustered just six hits, with George Springer and Nathan Lukes accounting for two-thirds of them. Lukes drove in both runs, as the Jays went 0-4 with runners in scoring position, stranding five.
One inning stands out, the bottom of the first. Springer and Lukes led off that inning with back-to-back singles. But Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flew out, Kazuma Okamoto grounded out, with Springer being thrown at home. Daulton Varsho went down swinging for the third out, with the Jays getting nothing from the chance. If that doesn’t epitomize the season, I’m not sure what does.
With three games left on this home stand, the Blue Jays need to find a way to take at least two of three against the New York Mets. Bo Bichette makes his return and it’s Canada Day, there’s no better way to turn around then the season than this series right here.
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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