Blue Jays win 2-0 vs. Angels but offence struggles once again

Breakdown of Jays 2026 Position-by-Position offence through 38 games

On Friday vs. the Angels, wearing City Connect uniforms at home, it was Dylan Cease’s night to shine, proving that pitch-count efficiency does not necessarily translate to fewer strikeouts. In a master-class 2-0 win, Cease threw 97 pitches in seven innings, an average of just under 14 per frame, yet still managed to fan 10 Angels, bringing his season total to 66 Ks in 45.1 frames, a total which leads the AL.

“That’s being efficient and trusting your stuff in the zone, really,” manager John Schneider said following up on his pre-game wish to see more efficiency even if it means fewer strikeouts. “Once you establish that, then you can kind of expand and get some chase. But when you’re talking about a starting pitcher’s outing, that’s about the best you can draw it up.”

But, once again, the Jays early-season offence struggled … although they did manage to chase lefty starter Reid Detmers before the end of the fourth, with six walks, driving his pitch count into the 90s and forcing the Angels to go to the bullpen. But what’s ailing the Jays’ bats as they struggle in all situations? Let’s examine that.

The Blue Jays from the moment Game 7 ended with a devastating loss to the Dodgers, they spent the winter and an entire spring training trying to assemble what they thought would be the best roster, the most productive lineup, trying to combine that vision with the best run prevention group in order to represent the Jays organization, the city and the country in defence of the American League crown.

That Jays optimum position-player lineup they worked so hard to cobble together in late-March and for the opening series vs. the Athletics, comprised: C-Alejandro Kirk; 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr.; 2B Ernie Clement; 3B Kazuma Okamoto; SS Andres Gimenez; LF Jesus Sanchez; CF Daulton Varsho; RF Addison Barger and DH George Springer.

So, what happened since the opening 3-game sweep of the A’s? The alarming bottom line for the Jays and their best laid plan has been sabotaged by injuries at key positions. The group they felt would succeed at the end of training camp, in any order manager John Schneider would have felt each day, has actually been together just two games out of the club’s first 38 starts.

Those two lonely games featuring Schneider’s chosen nine? On March 30 they lost 14-5 to the Rockies. On April 3 they lost 5-4 to the White Sox. Then the training-room mayhem began. Kirk fractured his thumb on a freaky foul tip, Barger sprained a couple of ankles running out a grounder and Springer broke his big toe on a foul ball. Not to mention, of course, the IL news that was already on the books with Anthony Santander and a still dizzying array of pitchers. Take a number with Jose Ministral.

The attempted art of Jays baseball has at times been paint-by-numbers unrecognizable. What’s going on? Wherefore the fundamentals of the game? What we’ve seen around MLB with the signing of a half-dozen young players to long-term deals, with more contract copycats on the horizon, teams seemingly rushing their best young prospects through the minors, one might surmise that MLB is replacing fundamentals with athleticism, willing to live with growing pains and bonehead plays in order to compete with colleges and other major professional sports that have always offered a quicker road to The Show..

“To me (defence and fundamentals) is the part that’s really easy to clean up,” Schneider said. “You don’t give teams extra outs when you’re trying to keep innings where they should be. It gives yourself a chance to come back in games, add on to leads, whatever it is. I don’t think as an organization that we are leaning into that, where it’s like, hey, we’re just going to forego fundamentals. We have leaned pretty heavily into that. We take a lot of pride in that.”

Whatever. They’re not there. The Blue Jays defence, baserunning and fundamentals may generously be considered a work in progress, but overall, after 38 games, there can be no arguing, the offence remains a mess.

Following is a summary of cumulative hitting stats from each Jays position on the field, with an analysis of what can be done to improve that performance. The first name is the player that was supposed to be the Jays’ opening day choice at that position, while the other names are players who have also played there.

Catcher (3): Kirk – 5G…Brandon Valenzuela, Tyler Heineman.

38G TOTALS: 124AB … 12R … 22H … 4HR … 10 RBI … .177 AVG .. .514 OPS

Kirk’s absence has emerged as the most important injury of the ’26 season. The foul tip that fractured his all-important left thumb meant that Heineman would be expected to make the majority of starts and, also, that raw rookie, Valenzuela, would be promoted ahead of any timing of expert projections, taking over the backup role.

But nothing is ever that easy. In the absence of Kirk, both men have struggled, each of them involved in game changing brain-fart moments, leading to close losses, with little to separate the two, offensively. However, the rookie Valenzuela has a higher ceiling and an ability to slow down the opponent’s running game.

As for Kirk, he has just now started to take dry swings, not even off a tee, while the Jays were in Tampa. With the injured thumb being his glove hand, he is still a long way from returning to the lineup. This was an injury that truly hurt both player and team. Kirk wasn’t yet hitting on all cylinders when he was injured but Heineman is a career backup and Valenzuela just a rookie, so as newby, shared starters they are in the spotlight on every pitch, reflecting on the defensive success or failure and responsible for pitch presentation and ABS challenges.

“Kirky’s a big part of our team,” Schneider admitted. “I think, in general, scoring (runs as a team) makes everything a little bit easier. It doesn’t put extra pressure on, ‘I have to make this pitch. I have to make this play. I have to make this throw.’ It can snowball on you in a hurry, not just from behind the plate. I think it’s a little bit of everything. You can help tighten up (the defence) and not give them extra outs.”

1B: Guerrero Jr. – 34G … Okamoto, Lenyn Sosa.

38G TOTALS: 139AB … 21R … 40H … 3HR … 16 RBI … .288 AVG .. .776 OPS

It’s ridiculous and unfathomable that after 38 games, Vlad, the half-billion-dollar man and his sometimes shared first-base position have contributed just three homers and 16 RBIs. This is not Luis Arraez or Tony Gwynn we’re talking about. Defensively, Vlad has not been as solidly entertaining and jaw-slackening with his gymnastics and stretches as in the past, but his aggressiveness on the bases has been spot-on. He needs much more offensive contribution and is capable of it. The good news is there are 124 games remaining. But Vlad, quit arguing with umpires when they are right.

2B: Clement – 29G…Sosa, Davis Schneider.

38G TOTALS: 148AB … 14R … 44H … 3HR … 15 RBI … .297 AVG .. .780 OPS

Clement has made 29 starts at second base, in addition to starting games for Okamoto at third and filling in for Gimenez at shortstop. His errors have been of commission, rather than omission and one was even on a play that was inexplicably missed by Guerrero at first. With Sosa and Schneider filling in when Clement is called upon elsewhere, second base has been solid.

3B: Okamoto – 35G…Clement.

38G TOTALS: 141AB … 18R … 36H … 9HR … 23 RBI … .255 AVG … .803 OPS

The clearest indication that the major-league game is bigger, faster, stronger than the top level of baseball played in Japan has been the odyssey of Okamoto. He struggled at the plate and in the field when the year started, but a move deeper back in the batter’s box (and a couple of inches closer) then playing deeper towards the outfield at third base, instead of even with the bag, both allowed him to improve dramatically.

“Making slight adjustments like that, talking with (infield coach) Carlos (Febles) and the hitting coaches, making little tweaks and adjustments like that, I think, has really helped me,” Okamoto said through his interpreter following Friday’s game.

There is no arguing that Okamoto’s defence has improved tremendously, with his arm being good enough, even on diving plays, if he uses the turf, to get throws across the diamond in time. He is currently on pace for 38 homers.

SS: Gimenez – 33G…Clement

38G TOTALS: 142AB … 12R … 34H … 3HR … 17 RBI … .239 AVG .. .636 OPS

Admittedly, Gimenez is no Bo Bichette at the plate, but one of the big reasons they could let Bichette go (other than the fact Bo wanted to leave) is that Gimenez and Clement give them Gold Glove quality up the middle. That’s always been a Jays priority. Gimenez batting at the bottom of the order chips in with an occasional key hit from the 8-9 spot, but the Jays need others to pick up the slack.

LF: Sanchez – 13G…Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Schneider, Yohendrick Pinango.

38G TOTALS: 129AB … 18R … 35H … 3HR … 21 RBI … .271 AVG .. .758 OPS

The return of Barger to the active roster will allow for a little more stability in the two corners of the outfield, with Barger in right and perhaps a loose platoon of Sanchez and Straw in left. Predictability and consistency is always good.

CF: Varsho – 31G…Straw, Lukes.

37G TOTALS: 136AB … 19R … 35H … 5HR … 10 RBI … .257 AVG ... .750 OPS

Varsho’s arm has been taken advantage of by a bevy of opposing baserunners, but his ability to track line drives and flyballs in the alley and behind him makes him a clear asset. However, 10 RBIs in 38 games from centre field should be concerning.

RF: Barger – 5G…Sanchez, Lukes, Straw, Pinango.

37G TOTALS: 133AB … 15R … 27H … 2HR … 13 RBI … .203 AVG .. .561 OPS

The cavalry is here. Barger was, likely, healthy enough to play on Friday, but with lefthander Reid Detmers pitching for the Angels, the club left him on the IL an extra day, with Davis Schneider drawing an outfield start.

“(Barger) played a few days in a row,” Schneider said. “Just give him a few days to try and recoup.”

What has been very noticeable in the absence of Barger in right field is that opponents have clearly scouted the Jays healthy outfielders and discovered there is seemingly no deterrent to taking an extra base at almost every opportunity –- first-to-third, second-to-home, tagging and moving up on any medium depth flyball. It quite subtly, maybe not so subtly, hurts the pitching staff.

“It’s a big part of his game, obviously” Schneider said of Barger. “I’m looking forward to his bat, too. But, yeah, it’s just an added bonus when we’re talking about playing in sync and keeping runners where they should be … and he’s one of those.”

DH: Springer – 20G…Guerrero Jr, Eloy Jimenez, Okamoto, Pinango, Sosa, Straw, Varsho.

38G TOTALS: 149AB … 11R … 32H … 2HR … 15 RBI … .215 AVG .. .574 OPS

This DH role may be the most disappointing area of the current Jays offence, a role that should, by all modern metrics, be providing much more in the way of run production, especially given Springer’s astonishing comeback numbers from a year ago. Of course, he did already miss 17 days in April on the IL, which, as a side-benefit, allowed others to get ABs while also benefitting from a day off their feet.

However, at DH, two homers and 15 RBIs for a position that exists in baseball purely for its offensive opportunities does not cut it for any playoff team wannabe. If the Jays lineup gets healthy and more consistent, day-to-day, those numbers will ramp up.

The series continues vs. the Angels on Saturday and Sunday.