Ugliness continues as Blue Jays bullpen blows up in gruesome road loss to Angels

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In theory, a six-game road trip beginning in Anaheim had to have some appeal for the run-starved Toronto Blue Jays.

There was an off-day in California to help shake off a pair of bad losses at home and look to refresh against a seemingly inferior opponent.

There was the prospect of returning to face a team that they dominated with a 7-0 record last season.

And most tantalizing was the fact that the slumping Angels — losers of 11 of their previous 13 — were one of only five MLB teams averaging fewer runs per game than the Jays.

There is nothing that’s a given with this Jays team, however, a grim reality that is becoming more firmly entrenched by the day.

So, instead of what would’ve felt like an important win on Tuesday night at the Big A, the Jays turned a disastrous eighth inning into a hot mess. What followed was a gruesome 8-3 loss to a team that had won just twice in its previous 13 starts.

The latest abomination will go down as one of the ugliest and most frustrating defeats of the season for the 16-19 Jays, which given some of the unsightly stuff that has unfolded to this point is saying something.

And it was particularly maddening given that the benign Toronto offence actually took a lead in the top of the eighth on Anthony Santander’s fifth home run of the season.

The bottom half was a disaster, however, as the Angels put up six runs and did the biggest damage off of the two best arms in the previously stellar Toronto bullpen — Yimi Garcia and closer Jeff Hoffman.

It began when Garcia allowed a leadoff walk to Zach Neto, who promptly stole second base and then advanced further after Ernie Clement made an error on a throw from catcher Alejandro Kirk following a Nolan Schanuel bunt.

That allowed Neto to score and open the floodgates for one of the worst offences in baseball.

A one-out single from Taylor Ward put runners on the corners and ended Garcia’s night. The lead was gone one batter later when Logan O’Hoppe singled to left field off of Hoffman, who then allowed a three-run homer to Yoan Moncada.

Yes, folks, it was as ugly as it sounds, especially since time after time the Jays failed to score runs at important spots.

In fact, after George Springer’s two-run homer in the first, it was seven innings before the Jays would get another run across, further indictment of the offensive woes.

Some takeaways from the Jays shoot-themselves-in-the-foot loss:

ANGELS OF MERCY?

Dumping on the Angels has certainly been a common occurrence for the Jays in recent seasons. Dating back to 2022, they were 15-5 against the AL West opponent, including that 7-0 mark in 2024. During that span, the Jays are now 9-1 at Angel Stadium.

Instead of continuing that domination, it was a different kind of same old, same old, as the Jays stranded seven on the base paths, a lingering weakness that has hindered them all season.

The ugliness on the road continues for the Jays, who were 1-5 on their most recent trip and are now a miserable 5-11 away from the Rogers Centre.

Overall, the Jays have now lost three in a row and are just 4-11 in their last 15.

BUNCH OF BULL

Not only did the top two arms of the Jays bullpen come up short, manager John Schneider was forced to use six different relievers, a less than ideal development for the first of six on the road.

It was particularly frustrating given that both Garcia and Hoffman had been lights out for much of the season. But it’s also symptomatic of the harsh reality of this team — an offence that can’t score and add on to leads piles tremendous strain on a pitching staff. We’ve seen it from starters and relievers and the frustrating level within the clubhouse as a result is becoming a thing.

Perhaps even more perplexing was the fact that the Jays were starting recent free agent signee Jose Urena, a desperate add given the lack of starting depth. Urena gave his new team 4.1 innings of two-run ball and like all those who have pitched before him for Toronto this season, was waiting for runs to support it.

NEXT UP

For Wednesday’s second of three against the Angels, the Jays will take on a familiar face on the mound in Yusei Kikuchi. The popular southpaw signed a three-year deal with the Angels in the off-season and will face many of his former teammates he shared a clubhouse with prior to being dealt to to the Mariners at last summer’s trade deadline. Jose Berrios gets the ball for the Jays.

rlongley@postmedia.com