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Series Recap: Blue Jays struggle with fundamentals in series loss to Astros
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 25, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 26, 2026, 04:46 EDT
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Just when it seemed like the Toronto Blue Jays were starting to figure it out, their series against the Houston Astros began.
Sunday’s series finale against the Chicago Cubs was rained out, meaning the Blue Jays had an off-day before returning home to host the Astros. A win on Monday meant that the Blue Jays would return to .500 yet again, and with a rested bullpen, they did just that.
The Astros got on the board first, as Isaac Paredes hit a single with an out and runners on the corner, a common trend through the three game series. However, the Jays responded in the bottom of the second, as Kazuma Okamoto hit a lead-off solo shot, his 17th of the season.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the fourth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to give the Blue Jays their first lead. Two innings later, the top of the sixth, the Astros knotted the game up once again.
But in the seventh, Myles Straw hit a sacrifice fly with runners on second and third with one out, giving the Jays a 3-2 lead. Then in the bottom of the eighth, Alejandro Kirk hit a sacrifice fly to give the Blue Jays a 4-2 lead, holding on to reach .500 for the first time since late May.
In late May, a victory over the Baltimore Orioles saw them reach .500 for the first time since early April. They were oh-so close to going above .500, but Jeff Hoffman blew a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth. Would it surprise you if I told you they also blew a late lead on Tuesday?
Once again, the Astros took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Yainer Díaz hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth, the first of three consecutive home runs. The last one, courtesy of Taylor Trammell, landed into the 500-deck, giving the Astros a 4-0 lead.
In the next half inning, the Blue Jays responded thanks to a double by Daulton Varsho, then a home run off the bat of Luis Urías. In the seventh, Varsho hit a two-run home run of his own, knotting the game up at four.
Moving to the bottom of the eighth, Guerrero Jr. reached base due to an error, then stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Okamoto hit a clutch two-out single to drive in two, giving the Blue Jays a late lead.
But just like the last time they had a chance to go above .500, they blew it in the ninth. With the bases loaded, Brandon Valenzuela interfered with Joey Loperfido’s swing, bringing in the Astros’ first run. A sacrifice fly hit by Cam Smith tied the game.
Braydon Fisher got three outs in the top of the tenth, but the Jays stranded the ghost runner at third base despite needing just a sacrifice fly to win the game. Fisher struck out two batters in the top of the 11th, but Loperfido hit a three run home run, and the Jays mustered just one run in their half of the 11th in the 9-7 loss.
Entering Wednesday’s series finale, the Jays still had a chance to win the series and stay at .500. For the third consecutive game, the Astros scored in the first, as Paredes hit a double. However, Nathan Lukes’ solo shot in the bottom of the first created a deadlock that lasted until the top of the eighth.
Hoffman surrendered a triple to Loperfido, a ball that Varsho easily would’ve caught last season. Then the reliever attempted a pick off, throwing it into the outfield to give the Astros a 2-1 lead. They added another run in the top of ninth, with the Jays ultimately losing the game 3-1 and the series.
In the end, failing to hit with runners in scoring position (4-25), poor defence, mental mistakes, and base running mistakes meant that not only did the Astros take two of three, but the Jays beat themselves. Now they need to take three of four against the Texas Rangers to depart the home stand with a .500 record on the season.
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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