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Series Recap: Blue Jays take two of three against Phillies to win fourth consecutive series
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Photo credit: © Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 10, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 10, 2026, 13:43 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays have now won four series in a row.
Their most recent one this past weekend was in the City of Brotherly Love, managing to take two of three against the opponent they faced in the 1993 World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Jays entered Friday’s contest on a one-game losing streak after going 1-19 with runners in scoring position against the Chicago Cubs. A few of those stranded runners were in the two extra innings. The bullpen didn’t get any rest in their series against the Phillies.
Facing Zack Wheeler, Andrés Giménez scored the first run of the game in the top of the second, taking the Phillies’ ace deep for a 1-0 lead. The Phillies responded in the bottom half of the second, but Brett Bateman was cashed in after hitting a lead-off double on the first pitch he saw. Again, the Phillies tied the game in the bottom half of the third.
In the fourth, the Blue Jays began a two-out rally, with Nathan Lukes hitting an RBI single for a lead the Jays never relinquished. After already hitting a sacrifice fly RBI in the top of the third, Alejandro Kirk hit another in the top half of the sixth to give the Jays a 4-2 lead. Then Smith hit his first home run as a Blue Jay, which turned out to be the game-winning run.
The Phillies scored twice in the bottom of the ninth, but with the bases loaded and two outs, Tyler Rogers got a ground out for the save. José Soriano made his Blue Jays debut in this game, going four and two-thirds innings. Matt Waldron also made his debut, and Lázaro Estrada picked up the win, the first of his career.
For the third time in four games, the Jays went to extra innings in Saturday’s game. Before that, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a home run in his first plate appearance following a three-game absence, before hitting an RBI single in his second plate appearance. 
Max Scherzer took sole possession of the 10th-most strikeouts in MLB history in the sixth, then proceeded to give up back-to-back solo home runs. Spencer Miles followed, giving up two more runs. Thankfully, the Blue Jays were able to tie it thanks to a two-out, two-RBI double courtesy of Giménez.
After the teams exchanged runs in the 10th, the Blue Jays took a 7-5 lead in the top of the 11th thanks to a two-run home run off the bat of Nathan Lukes. Estrada picked up the save, and the Blue Jays won another series.
But something they haven’t done since mid-June is sweep a series. Unfortunately, they didn’t do it on Sunday either. A three-run home run courtesy of Kyle Schwarber gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead. The Jays scored twice, but Schwarber hit another home run, then the Phillies scored another run to make it 5-2.
However, the Blue Jays’ offence has shown signs of life recently, and they tied the game in the top of the eighth again. With runners on first and second, Ernie Clement hit a double to cash in one. Once again, Giménez was the hero, driving in two runs with a single.
It looked as if the Blue Jays were going to avoid extra innings after the first two runners got on base in the top of the ninth. However, Bateman failed to get a bunt down, instead striking out to bring up Guerrero Jr.. Unsurprisingly, the Blue Jays’ first baseman grounded into a double play to end the threat.
Several key defensive plays kept the Blue Jays alive, much like Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs. They even managed to score a run in the top of the 12th, but with a drained bullpen, Estrada had to pitch his third day in a row. It didn’t work out as well this time, as the Phillies scored twice to walk it off.
All things considered, it was a solid series for the Blue Jays, considering they managed to take two of three from a team that is probably going to the playoffs. That said, it’s not going to get any easier, as the Jays are right back in action on Monday, hosting the red-hot Boston Red Sox for a four-game series.
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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