TORONTO – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 22-game hitting streak ended in his final at-bat Sunday, when he hit a double play in the second inning to halt a Toronto Blue Jays comeback in the eighth.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays (54-64) suffered their second straight loss in a series against the Oakland Athletics (50-69), falling 8-4.
Oakland starter J.P. Sears (10-8) forced Guerrero to ground out to shortstop in the first, hit a fly ball to right field in the fourth and turned a double play in the seventh.
Athletics reliever Michelle Otanes got Guerrero to double in the bottom of the eighth with runners on first and second and three runs scored.
“That’s the guy you’re trying to make a one-run game out of,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “It just wasn’t his day.”
Guerrero has made his day by being patient and not overswinging over the past few weeks. The big swing came back into his game before 38,797 at Rogers Centre.
“It’s probably going to get to a point where he’s trying to do too much,” Schneider said. “I thought his swing was a little big today.”
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He tied his career-best 22-game hitting streak with a single in the first inning Saturday, and finished with a .494 (40-for-81) batting average, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 11 walks and 22 RBIs.
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According to OptaSTATS, the 25-year-old infielder became the first player since 1937 to have 35 or more hits, 10 or more doubles, 10 or more home runs and 10 or more walks in a 20-game season, joining Babe Ruth (1922), Rogers Hornsby (1928), Lou Gehrig (1936) and Joe DiMaggio (1937).
“I’ve seen Vlad do some great things over the years,” Schneider said. “That range is pretty high.
“And he hits the ball as hard as he does. When you’re on a 22-game hitting streak, you usually see a soft single to right on a day like (Saturday). But it seemed like he was doing damage and getting multiple hits every night.”
Sears allowed three runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. He left after getting back-to-back walks from Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider to start the eighth. They later scored on a three-run rally by Toronto on George Springer’s single off Otanez.
Dalton Bashaw hit a one-out home run down the right-field line for his 14th home run, ending Sears’ no-hitter.
Sears became the first Oakland starter to reach 10 wins in 2021 after four different starting pitchers, including the Blue Jays’ Chris Bassitt, achieved 10 wins.
Bassitt (9-11) faced Sears, the Toronto starter falling behind early after JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof hit two-run homers and Oakland scored six runs in the first inning, forcing 11 batters to bat.
Bessitt lasted just four innings. He allowed eight hits and seven runs with one walk, one hit, and five strikeouts.
Bleday, Lawrence Butler and Gelof each had three of the Athletics’ 12 hits.
Blue Jays rookie third baseman Luis De Los Santos recorded his first career hits, hitting an infield single in the sixth and a double in the eighth for his first RBI.
Boto Watch
Joey Votto made nine appearances for Triple-A Buffalo in his bid to return to Major League Baseball with the Blue Jays after suffering an ankle injury in spring training.
The Etobicoke, Ontario native went 4-for-19 with a home run, three RBIs, four walks and 10 strikeouts.
Votto, who turns 41 on Sept. 10, is 25 behind Hall of Famer Larry Walker’s Canadian record of 2,160 hits, but it’s unclear whether Toronto will promote him with seven weeks remaining.
The Blue Jays open a seven-game home series against Votto’s former team, the Cincinnati Reds, on Aug. 19.
On deck
The Blue Jays begin a six-game road trip on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs.
Toronto’s Bowden Francis (4-3) will start the season opener in Anaheim. The Angels will counter with right-hander Davis Daniel (1-3).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
