Blue Jays blew a late lead and fell 4-3 in the rubber match against the Twins

That was an ugly one.

On Sunday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays played their third and final game against the Minnesota Twins in a rubber match, losing the game 4-3.

The starting lineup in Sunday’s game had played just 779 career games, the fewest in franchise history (in a single game), and the fewest games from a starting lineup in a team this season. Although the Blue Jays aren’t great this season, they’ve quickly become a fun team.

Update: #BlueJays starting 9 batters today have combined for 779 career games played.

That is the fewest for a starting lineup in club history, and the fewest by any MLB team this season. https://t.co/qc9k8HXYEX

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) September 1, 2024

Nothing was more fun in this game than Leo Jiménez’s fantastic catch in foul territory, as he put his body on the line and tumbled into the stands to make the catch. The Blue Jays turned a double play, as Addison Barger grabbed the ball from Jiménez and threw out the runner at home. Sadly, the runner was placed on third as it was considered a dead ball.

LEO JIMENEZ LAYS HIS BODY ON THE LINE TO MAKE AN INSANE CATCH! 😱 pic.twitter.com/UE1gFIwIE4

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 1, 2024

 

Speaking of fun, Ernie Clement looks like a roster player for the 2025 season. In the top of the first inning, he hit his 11th home run of the season and is now one shy of matching his career-best he set last season. The Twins tied the game at one in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a groundout.

Ernie Clement clobbers the first pitch he sees for a solo homer! ☄️ pic.twitter.com/xQNyelIuCa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 1, 2024

With that being said, the eighth inning saw the most scoring from both teams. Jiménez needs an ice pack, as he got an RBI the hard way, being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Joey Loperfido grounded out in the next at bat, giving the Jays a 3-1 lead.

However, the Twins saw Ryan Jeffers and Austin Martin hit singles, giving them two base runners with Royce Lewis in the box. He hit his 16th home run of the season, giving the Twins a 4-3 lead, the final score of Sunday’s game.

Diving into the stats…

It was a short inning for Yariel Rodríguez on Sunday, as he pitched just three innings, giving up three hits, two walks, and striking out three. This is likely because of an innings limit. Ryan Yarbrough was the first out of the pen, pitching a scoreless two and one third innings. Zach Pop allowed an unearned run, while Brendon Little was tagged with a blown save. Tommy Nance pitched a third of an inning with a strikeout.

The ever reliable Chad Green didn’t have a great game Sunday, as he gave up three earned runs in an inning pitched, bringing his season ERA to 2.17. Moreover, he was tagged with his fourth loss of the season and his first blown save of the year.

After 23 hits in Saturday’s game, the Blue Jays’ bats were quiet once again. Ernie Clement’s home run was the only extra-base on the day, and he also had a single to account for 66.7% of Toronto’s hits. Joey Loperfido had the other hit, while Nathan Lukes walked three times. Addison Barger reached with a walk, while Leo Jiménez reached thanks to a walk and hit by pitch.

With the loss, the Blue Jays now have a 67-72 record. They had a chance to gain some ground on the Twins had they won this series, but they are now 8.5 games behind the Twins and Kansas City Royals. They would have needed a 2007 Rockies-esque run to even sniff a playoff spot coming into the series, but losing two of three games to the Twins means it’s basically it for the Jays.

All of that being said, there’s still nearly an entire month of baseball left this season. Next up is the Philadelphia Phillies, who are coming to Toronto for a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday. Those two games are sandwiched between off-days for the Jays.

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As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.