<p>The summer of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued on Saturday as he extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a first-inning single.</p>
<p></p>
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<p>It ties a career-high for the slugger in a game where the Blue Jays as a whole couldn&#8217;t generate anything against the Oakland Athletics, falling 1-0.</p>
<p>Ernie Clement was the only other Jay who got a hit, coming in the bottom of the second, as the club struck out nine times at the plate. They would get some other base runners, with Brian Serven taking a walk, and Daulton Varsho one of his own in the bottom of the ninth. But the Jays couldn&#8217;t get a rally going against Athletics closer Mason Miller, who threw 15 100+ mph fastballs and two sliders to sit down strikeout George Springer, Guerrero Jr. and Spencer Horwitz in the bottom of the ninth.</p>
<p>For as much as there&#8217;s been a turnaround in the Blue Jays&#8217; offence since the All-Star Break, hitting for a .739 OPS ahead of Saturday&#8217;s game — the 12th-best mark in the league — the loss to the Athletics was nothing short of a stark reminder of where this team is at.</p>
<p>Yariel Rodriguez did his part for the team, however, going five and two-third innings, allowing one earned run off five hits and one walk, while sitting down five batters. It was as solid of a performance as the club could&#8217;ve asked for, with his lone earned run allowed coming off a Brett Rooker home run that bounced off the top of the wall in left-field, off a fence, and back into the ballpark.</p>
<p>The Blue Jays continue their three-game set against the Athletics on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:07 p.m. EST.</p>
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<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.</span></i></p>
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The summer of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued on Saturday as he extended his hitting streak to 22 games with a first-inning single.


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It ties a career-high for the slugger in a game where the Blue Jays as a whole couldn't generate anything against the Oakland Athletics, falling 1-0.

Ernie Clement was the only other Jay who got a hit, coming in the bottom of the second, as the club struck out nine times at the plate. They would get some other base runners, with Brian Serven taking a walk, and Daulton Varsho one of his own in the bottom of the ninth. But the Jays couldn't get a rally going against Athletics closer Mason Miller, who threw 15 100+ mph fastballs and two sliders to sit down strikeout George Springer, Guerrero Jr. and Spencer Horwitz in the bottom of the ninth.

For as much as there's been a turnaround in the Blue Jays' offence since the All-Star Break, hitting for a .739 OPS ahead of Saturday's game — the 12th-best mark in the league — the loss to the Athletics was nothing short of a stark reminder of where this team is at.

Yariel Rodriguez did his part for the team, however, going five and two-third innings, allowing one earned run off five hits and one walk, while sitting down five batters. It was as solid of a performance as the club could've asked for, with his lone earned run allowed coming off a Brett Rooker home run that bounced off the top of the wall in left-field, off a fence, and back into the ballpark.

The Blue Jays continue their three-game set against the Athletics on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:07 p.m. EST.

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.</span></i>

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Toronto Blue Jays shutout 1-0 by Oakland Athletics

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