TORONTO – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 22-game hit streak fizzled out in his final at-bat on Sunday when he hit into his second double play in as many innings to kill a Toronto Blue Jays rally in the eighth.
Guerrero and the Blue Jays (54-64) suffered an 8-4 loss, their second straight defeat to drop their series against the Oakland Athletics (50-69).
Oakland starter JP Sears (10-8) cajoled Guerrero into a ground out to short in the first inning, a fly ball to right in the fourth and a double play in the seventh.
Athletics reliever Michel Otanez also got Guerrero to hit into a double play in the eighth inning with runners on first and second and three runs already in.
“That’s the guy you want out there to try to make it a one-run game,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “It just wasn’t his day.”
Guerrero made his day over the past few weeks by being patient and not overswinging. The big swing crept back into his game before 38,797 at Rogers Centre.
“You get to the point where you probably try to do a little too much,” Schneider said. “I thought his swing was little bit big today.”
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With his first-inning single on Saturday, he equalled his career-high of 22 straight games with a hit, batting .494 (40 for 81), with 11 doubles, 10 homers, 11 walks and 22 RBI.
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According to OptaSTATS, the 25-year-old infielder became the first player since 1937 to register 35 or more hits, 10 or more doubles, 10 or more home runs and 10 or more walks over a 20-game span, joining Babe Ruth (1922), Rogers Hornsby (1928), Lou Gehrig (1936) and Joe DiMaggio (1937).
“I’ve seen Vlad do some cool things over the years,” Schneider said. “That stretch right there was pretty high up there.
“To do that and to hit the ball with as much power as he did. I think when you’re in the midst of a 22-game hit streak usually you see days like (Saturday) with a soft single to right. But he was doing damage and having multiple hits every single night it seemed.”
Sears gave up three runs on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts. He departed after back-to-back walks to Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider to begin the eighth. They later scored on George Springer’s single off Otanez in a three-run Toronto rally.
Daulton Varsho ended Sears’ no-hit bid with a one-out homer down the right-field line for his 14th.
Sears became the first 10-game winner for Oakland since four starters, including current Blue Jay Chris Bassitt, hit the mark in 2021.
Bassitt (9-11) faced Sears. The Toronto starter fell behind early after a six-run first inning, in which JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof hit two-run homers and Oakland sent 11 hitters to the plate.
Bassitt lasted only four innings. He gave up seven runs on eight hits with walks, a hit batter 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 checked in with his first career hit, an infield hit in the sixth, and doubled in a run in the eighth for his first RBI.
VOTTO WATCH
Joey Votto has made nine appearances for Triple-A Buffalo as he attempts to return to Major League Baseball with the Blue Jays after an ankle injury in spring training.
The native of Etobicoke, Ont., has gone 4-for-19 with a homer, three RBI, four walks and 10 strikeouts.
Votto, who turns 41 on Sept. 10, is 25 hits behind Hall of Famer Larry Walker’s Canadian record of 2,160 hits. But it remains to be seen if Toronto will promote Votto with seven weeks to go.
The Blue Jays open a seven-game home stand on Aug. 19 against Votto’s old club, the Cincinnati Reds.
ON DECK
The Blue Jays begin a six-game trip with stops against the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Toronto’s Bowden Francis (4-3) will start in the opener in Anaheim. The Angels will counter with righty Davis Daniel (1-3).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press