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Series Recap: Blue Jays split series with Cubs thanks to blowout loss and late rally victory
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Photo credit: © David Banks-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 22, 2026, 06:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 23, 2026, 06:11 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays trip to the north side of Chicago was cut short.
This past weekend, the Blue Jays went to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Cubs for a three-game series at Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, only two games were played, as rain caused Sunday’s game to be postponed, with the make up date coming in early August.
As for the two games that were played, the Blue Jays managed a series split, returning home with a chance to reach .500 with a victory over the Houston Astros on Monday. One game went really poorly, the other game could be a season turning point.
Friday’s game was an afternoon game, and it didn’t go so well for the Blue Jays as the Cubs teed off on Kevin Gausman. In the first inning alone, the ever-steady Blue Jays starter gave up seven earned runs, putting the Blue Jays in an early hole they never recovered from.
The Jays’ first run of the game came in the top of the third, as George Springer hit an RBI single to cash in Andrés Giménez. It stood that way until the top of the sixth, when Springer hit his eighth home run of the season to bring the Blue Jays to within five.
But the wheels fell off from there. In the bottom half of the sixth, Brendon Little returned to the mound and was tagged for four earned runs, walked three in his inning of work. In the following inning, the Cubs scored five unearned runs off Tyler Rogers, taking a 16-2 victory in the series opener.
Saturday’s game didn’t have a great start either. In the bottom of the second, Patrick Corbin surrendered a three-run home run, putting the Blue Jays in a hole early. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Lázaro Estrada surrendered a two-run home run, giving the Cubs a 5-0 lead with just nine outs to go.
The Jays woke up after that. Before the game, Daulton Varsho was activated from the injured list, making an immediate impact by hitting a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to get the Blue Jays to within two.
Then with runners on the corners with no outs, the Jays got to within one thanks to an Alejandro Kirk pinch-hit single. The next batter, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., drove in the tying run, before Kazuma Okamoto hit his 16th home run of the season to give the Blue Jays an 8-5 lead. In the bottom of the eighth, the Cubs tacked on a run, but the Jays ultimately won this one 8-6.
While a day without a baseball game is never a great day, Sunday’s postponement was a blessing for the Blue Jays thanks to their taxed bullpen. They’ll now return home to begin a three-game series against the Astros beginning on Monday.
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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