Blue Jays overcome Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s hitting woes to beat red-hot Houston Astros

Published Aug 03, 2026  •  5 minute read

Alejandro Kirk #30 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a solo home run during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Monday. Photo by Alex Slitz/ /Getty Images

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Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, the eternal optimist will continue to believe the Blue Jays will somehow make the playoffs, even though the club’s odds grow dimmer by the day.

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Realistically, the post-trade-deadline schedule amounts to a referendum on Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has yet to hit a homer at home and who continues to look lost at the plate, whether at home or on the road.

No big bat was acquired Monday to offer him any support, though no one expected the Jays to make such a move given the market was woefully thin on sluggers.

It now rests on the shoulders of Vlad Jr. to somehow salvage his season, by far the most dominant theme as the schedule slowly begins to wind down.

Had he been more productive, legitimately contending for the playoffs would have been a real possibility for the Jays, especially in an inferior American League.

One game after he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, Vlad Jr. struck out in his first at-bat Monday when the Jays began their three-game series against a Houston Astros team that had won six in a row and 11 of 12 heading into the opener.

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In his second at-bat, Vlad Jr. had a runner at third with one out.

He chased a pitch well outside the zone and popped out just behind first base.

For some reason, Myles Straw, who doubled to lead off the third inning and advanced on a groundout, tried to score and was easily tagged out at home plate on an odd double play.

In a scene fans have seen far too frequently, a visibly frustrated Vlad Jr. showed his displeasure in the dugout.

And the hitting woes continued.

With a runner at third and one out in the fifth inning, Vlad Jr. popped out, this time on the left side of the infield.

In the eighth inning, he stepped up to the plate with none on and one out.

Vlad Jr. struck out swinging for the second time to give him five Ks in eight at-bats across two games.

The following are three takeaways from a night when the Jays began their seven-game road trip with a 3-1 win over the Astros.

1. Bieber bounces back

Given his wretched outing in Washington, it would have been hard to see any suitor emerge for Shane Bieber’s services.

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Prior to his aborted outing against the Nationals when the former Cy Young Award winner issued six walks and failed to get out of the first inning, Bieber had pieced together two very good starts when he yielded a combined six hits across 13.0 innings to earn two wins.

Monday marked his first start since the debacle in Washington.

His start against the Astros began by inducing a groundout before Bieber gave up a single.

Bieber was infinitely better than he was in Washington, which isn’t much of an endorsement.

He did end an 18-pitch first inning Monday by recording a strikeout.

Bieber began the second inning by yielding a leadoff single after the Jays had taken a 1-0 lead on an Alejandro Kirk homer.

For a change, the Jays’ offence provided some run support, scoring two additional runs to complement Bieber.

While he dealt with traffic, Bieber kept Houston scoreless through five innings.

In the sixth, Bieber had runners at first and second with two outs.

A soft looper scored Houston’s first run, signalling the end for Bieber, who gave up nine hits in his 5.2-inning outing, but none went for extra bases.

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Braydon Fisher came in relief.

With Jeff Hoffman dealt to Minnesota earlier in the day, the Jays were minus one of their high leverage arms.

Brendon Little entered the game with two outs and a runner at first in the seventh, which ended on a strikeout.

Little started the eighth inning by striking out the first two hitters before issuing a walk.

A big moment then arrived featuring Yordan Alvarez, a triple crown candidate.

Little struck out Alvarez to give the left-hander four strikeouts in a high-level span when he faced five hitters.

It was left up to Tyler Rogers, who started the ninth inning, to secure the win, one day after Louis Varland pitched poorly against St. Louis when the Cardinals scored four runs in the ninth inning to earn their 5-1 win, aided by a Luis Urias throwing error.

2. Varsho’s cage match

Daulton Varsho’s day at Daikin Park began like any other day, which meant taking his swings in the visitors’ batting cage.

Monday was no ordinary day for the former Gold Glove centre fielder, who went from the visiting team to the home club following his trade.

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“It was definitely weird going from that (visitors) cage to this (home) cage,” he told reporters at his introductory press conference.

And so began Varsho’s time as a member of the Astros.

Houston immediately inserted Varsho into the cleanup role, a designation he had when he first joined the Jays following his trade from Arizona.

Four years later and the Jays continue to search for a bona fide cleanup hitter, that all-important middle of the order bat that isn’t easily secured.

The night began with Nathan Lukes hitting a routine fly ball to centre, which Varsho secured for the game’s first out.

In his first at-bat, Varsho hit a grounder Vlad Jr. couldn’t secure, allowing Varsho to reach base on an infield hit.

Straw is also a Golden Glove outfielder.

He started in centre field Monday and will likely remain a fixture for the immediate future.

Straw made a Varsho-like catch when Taylor Trammell thought he had hit a leadoff homer in the fourth inning, rounding the bases no less until he realized an out was recorded when no teammate came out of the dugout to offer congratulations.

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Straw, by the way, hit ninth in the order and reached base on a double and single in his first two plate appearances.

Daulton Varsho of the Houston Astros singles during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. Photo by Alex Slitz /Getty Images

3. Springer’s homecoming

George Springer won a championship in Houston and earned World Series MVP honours.

He has always taken time to reconnect with his former Astros teammates when the Jays visit Houston.

Monday was no exception as Springer once again hit cleanup in the Jays’ lineup, extending his hit streak to nine games.

Up Next

Exit Kevin Gausman, enter Jose Soriano as the Jays clearly improved their starting rotation, which will continue to be spearheaded by staff ace Dylan Cease; Trey Yesavage’s role only figures to increase and the right-hander is scheduled to take the ball Tuesday (8:10 p.m. first pitch); Yesavage earned the win in Washington in his last start when he gave up three hits in 6.2 innings; Houston is scheduled to start RHP Hayden Wesneski.

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