Vlad Jr. hears some boos, while beleaguered Blue Jays continue to lose

Rays get to All-Star Cease as Guerrero Jr. continues to be silent at the plate.

Published Jul 20, 2026  •  4 minute read

Jays pitcher Dylan Cease delivers the pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night. Photo by Vaughan Ridley /Getty Images

The Blue Jays played their 100th game of the season Monday night when the Tampa Bay Rays were in town to begin a four-game series, a meeting of two AL East rivals that could be viewed as a potential turning point in a season gone askew.

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Toronto has not fared well against Tampa and the disparity between the clubs was pronounced in the series opening 7-1 loss to the Rays.

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Just about every aspect of the sport, whether it’s pitching, hitting, running the bases, playing situational baseball, the Jays failed miserably on each front.

Only once in six previous matchups this season have the Jays been able to topple Tampa.

With the defeat, the Jays dropped their record to 46-54 to sit a season-high eight games under .500.

A total of 12 games will be played before MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline kicks in.

Until now, the Jays have pretty much insisted they will be buyers.

A rethink is in order.

The way the club continues to play with little desperation, it’s doubtful any potential suitor would be interested in whatever trade piece the franchise will dangle.

The following are three takeaways from one of the most discouraging games at Rogers Centre where pending free-agent George Springer had a multi-hit game at DH, one of a handful of Blue Jays who actually cared.

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1. Error-prone and inexcusable

The Jays haven’t been playing well on either side of the ball. Three physical errors by three different players, including pitcher Dylan Cease on an ill-advised pick-off attempt at second base, would play out.

Those miscues are easily documented in the official scorecard.

A mental error was also committed by Cease, the kind of which don’t get denoted.

After Yandy Diaz reached base on a fielding error by Andres Gimenez, Cease allowed Tampa’s leadoff hitter and allowed Diaz to easily steal second base. He would score on a Junior Caminero single.

There’s no sense of urgency to the Jays’ game and it was reflected in their inability to execute basic plays in the field.

2. Cease’s disappearing act

Out of nowhere, right-hander Cease had an outing to forget, arguably his worst start of the season.

In his past six starts, no home runs were surrendered. But Monday, he gave up two dingers, marking the third time with the Blue Jays that Cease had yielded as many long balls in a single start.

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He flirted with a no-hitter in his most recent outing in San Francisco when his bid was broken up on a leadoff single in the ninth.

Cease even started for the American League in the All-Star game.

The seven hits allowed tied for the most this season. Cease hadn’t given up seven hits since May 2 and was even charged with a balk during his six-inning outing.

3. Vlad Jr.’s frustration mounts

No one is going to feel sorry for someone who is in the first year of a 14-year franchise-record deal worth a total of $500 million, but if he could use a percentage of that money to fix his hitting the proverbial cheque will be in the mail.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is beginning to wear his lack of power at home.

His frustration after popping out to right field to end the home half of the fifth inning told the story of someone who has reached his breaking point.

In his two previous two at-bats, Vlad Jr. had the look of someone who would finally go yard in front of the home crowd, including one ball that nearly left yard in left field.

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Eventually, Vlad Jr. will hit a home run at home because baseball’s odds say he will. But when?

Sunday, the table was set for Vlad Jr. to make a difference when the Jays had two runners on base and none out against the Chicago White Sox in a 3-0 game.

He failed to deliver as the Jays would end the game by hitting into a double play.

Vlad Jr. did make a nice defensive play Monday when he stepped on the bag for the first out and then threw over to second where the tag was applied to complete a double play in the top of the seventh inning.

In the eighth inning, Vlad Jr. struck out swinging as a chorus of boos could be heard.

Up Next

Game Two of the series will see RHP Kevin Gausman make his 19th start of the season and third against the Rays; in his previous two outings against Tampa, the veteran was tagged with two losses, while yielding eight combined earned runs in 10.2 innings; Rays will counter with RHP Drew Rasmussen, who opposed Gausman in each of the previous meetings with the Jays; Rasmussen was touched for a home run in each start versus Toronto.

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