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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays take series opener against Cardinals thanks to Luis Urías’ pinch hit two-run single
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 31, 2026, 22:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 31, 2026, 22:22 EDT
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Maybe, just maybe, the Toronto Blue Jays can force the front office to buy ahead of August 3rd’s trade deadline.
On Friday evening, the Jays began a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, defeating their National League opponent in a low-scoring 3-1 game. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!
Dylan Cease started this game for the Blue Jays and had another good start. His first inning featured two strikeouts and a walk against a team that doesn’t strikeout a whole lot. He fired two more hitless innings, before Alec Burleson led off the top of the fourth with a double.
Thankfully, Cease stranded the runner at second thanks to a strikeout and a pair of ground balls. The Cardinals were first on the board, as another lead-off hit came in to score after a stolen base, a grounder that moved him to third, and an RBI single. Cease capped off the fifth with a strikeout, as he did in the sixth.
The Jays had a chance to immediately answer in the bottom of the fifth, but a pair of two-out singles were stranded after a fly out. They were able to capitalize on a lead-off double courtesy of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who just missed hitting his first home run at Rogers Centre. Thankfully, Kazuma Okamoto drove him in with a double of his own to tie the game at one.
Okamoto was stranded at third after a line out, ground out, and fly out. They started a one-out rally thanks to a pair of singles and a hit by pitch, but Guerrero Jr. grounded out into a double play to end the threat.
But the Blue Jays kept coming. Back-to-back-to-back one out walks loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth. This time, pinch hitter Luis Urías capitalized with a two RBI single through the left side of the infield.
That brought up Louis Varland for the ninth, so essentially an automatic victory for the Jays, their second in a row.

Takeaways…

Pitching won them this game. Like always, Dylan Cease was terrific, going six innings of one run ball with three walks and seven strikeouts. Unfortunately, a lack of hitting with runners in scoring position only earned him a no-decision. Still, his ERA improved to 2.41.
Whoever suggested that the Blue Jays select Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 draft deserves to have a day in Toronto dedicated to them. He pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman struck out two as well in his scoreless inning, bringing his ERA to 4.02, in what could be his final appearance as a Blue Jay.
Louis Varland entered the game in the top of the ninth with the Blue Jays up two. At that point, the game was pretty much won, as Varland got two ground outs and a fly out, while also allowing a single. He’s now 24/24 in save opportunities with a 0.96 ERA.
It took them a while in this one, but the Blue Jays finally got the big hit when it was needed. Overall, they were 2-10 with runners in scoring position, but Luis Urías single was just enough to give them the victory.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. just missed hitting a home run, which would be his first at Rogers Centre this season. Instead, he hit a double and scored the game-tying run. The first baseman also made a fantastic defensive play, but the ground outs remain a concern.
The bottom of the lineup had a great game. Obviously Urías, pinch hitting for Jesús Sánchez, hit the two RBI single, but Brandon Valenzuela went 3-4 and Andrés Giménez went 2-3, giving them six of the Blue Jays’ nine hits. Guerrero Jr., Kazuma Okamoto, and George Springer had the other three.
On Saturday, the Blue Jays will have a chance to make it three consecutive wins. As it stands, they have a 51-59 record and are just four and a half games back of the final wild card with a handful of teams to jump. Stranger things have happened, though.
Kevin Gausman is set to start the afternoon game, but with the August 3rd trade deadline looming, who knows if he’ll still be on the team when Saturday’s game begins at 3:07 PM ET.
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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