Blue Jays edge Cleveland Guardians to claim back-to-back series wins

Yohendrick Pinago started in left field and recorded his first MLB hit

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Published Apr 26, 2026  •  4 minute read

Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. celebrates with Jesús Sánchez after Sánchez's home run in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at the Rogers Centre on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Toronto. Photo by Tara Walton /GETTY IMAGES

Back-to-back series wins won’t exactly qualify as some resounding feat, but given the Blue Jays’ early-season travails, they will be savoured.

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Perhaps a turning point has been reached, knowing Toronto’s play has improved, and knowing some of the club’s injured incumbents are slowly making their way back.

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With the dysfunctional Boston Red Sox up next, a third successive series win is well within reach.

In Sunday’s series rubber match against the visiting Cleveland Guardians, Jesus Sanchez drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, to power the Jays to a 4-2 win.

Jeff Hoffman isn’t being asked to save games, at least for the moment, but he was on the mound to start the eighth inning.

His trademark music was played when he left the bullpen, but no customary light show because Hoffman was not being asked to save a game. Rather, he was being asked to simply not blow it.

Hoffman worked around a one-out walk.

Enter Louis Varland, who one game earlier had saved Saturday’s win despite enduring a turbulent ninth that could have easily gone sideways.

Varland gave up a leadoff single Sunday, reinforcing the closer’s role is not for the faint of heart.

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Save No. 3 wasn’t as stressful as Saturday, but like the previous day Varland recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.

At least the Jays are beginning to string together wins, which is never a bad thing.

Yohendrick Pinago, called up Saturday when the Jays placed Nathan Lukes (hamstring) on the IL, made his big-league debut. He was part of the package Toronto received when it sent Nate Pearson to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline two years ago. Pinago, 23, appeared in 23 games with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons. He started in left field Sunday and immediately displayed his aggressive plate approach by sending a ball to the warning track in his first at-bat. Pinago recorded his first hit in the fourth inning on a ball he drove into centrefield with two outs.

The following are three takeaways from Sunday:

1. St. Patrick’s Day

Through four innings, Jays starter Patrick Corbin allowed two hits and zero runs.

The fifth inning began with the veteran left-hander surrendering a single.

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Back-to-back singles would see Corbin facing his first threat of the day as the Guardians had runners on the corner.

Braydon Fisher began to warm up in the bullpen.

Corbin fell behind 2-0 to No. 9 hitter Brayan Rocchio, who, two pitches later, sent a looping ball into centre to cash in Cleveland first run.

The Guardians had their top of the order when Steven Kwan, who bats left, came up to the plate as Corbin’s outing seemed to be nearing its end.

Corbin induced Kwan, who is not easy to double up, into hitting a 6-4-3 double play on a hard-hit ball.

With switch-hitting Angel Martinez at the plate, Corbin gave up a double that nearly cleared the wall in left field as the game was deadlocked.

Corbin’s day had officially ended.

With Eric Lauer being moved to the pen, Corbin is the lone lefty starter in the rotation.

Trey Yesavage is scheduled to make his season debut Tuesday, the same day Jose Berrios is scheduled to make a rehab start in the minors.

2. Clement’s a Hit

By now, no one should view Ernie Clement as some one-trick pony.

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If people still think Clement is punching above his weight, they are deeply mistaken.

His defensive versatility is second to none, his base running elite and his bat in trending into some rarefied air.

Clement hit leadoff Sunday and barreled a ball that went for a double, duplicating Saturday’s first at-bat.

Sunday’s two-base hit extended his hit streak to 10 games.

Clement’s double was his 13th of the season.

When the Jays begin their three-game series against Boston Monday, the occasion is being billed as Ernie Clement replica hockey jersey giveaway night.

He came around to score the first run Sunday when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in Clement on a line drive to left field.

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2. 

   Louis Varland earns save, but Blue Jays' win over Guardians far from routine

3. Tag Line

For only the second time this season, Davis Schneider started at second base, one of many changes initiated by the Jays, who had Vlad Jr. at DH.

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Schneider was in the middle of the action right from the start.

The sequence began when Martinez reached base on a fielders choice in the top half of the first inning.

Martinez attempted to steal second and it appeared he avoided the tag applied by Schneider.

The call on the field was an out.

The Guardians challenged the ruling, which was upheld.

Whether it was in real time or with the benefit of video, Schneider missed the tag.

Conclusive evidence is required to confirm or overturn a call and it was deemed not enough sufficient evidence was available.

In today’s baseball world where video is used to determine balls and strikes, it was odd to see the play not overturned.

Either way, the Jays caught a break.

Given the bad breaks they have experienced, perhaps they were due one.

Even the smallest detail of applying the tag must be executed.

Schneider missed the tag and it was obvious the video arbitrators missed it as well.

Baseball has headed down a slipper slope and there’s no turning back.

Welcome to the modern-day game when the human element is slowly disappearing.

Schneider was charged with a throwing error in the sixth inning.

Up Next

The reeling Red Sox come to town Monday mere days following the franchise’s stunning decision to fire manager Alex Cora and five members of his staff. The three-game series marks the first time this season the Jays will face a divisional opponent.

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