Toronto Blue Jays Ernie Clement (22) dives into home plate safely as Sacramento A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (23) is too late with the tag in the bottom of the second inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Fri May 30, 2025 (Canadian Press via AP photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics’ struggles continued Friday night at Rogers Centre as they fell to the Toronto Blue Jays 11-7 in a game marked by early power and persistent Toronto offense. Tyler Soderstrom provided the first jolt for the green and gold with a towering solo home run in the second inning, his 11th of the season, to open the scoring.

But Toronto immediately answered, tying it in the bottom of the frame and taking the lead for good in the second inning. Jeffrey Springs, who entered the game with a 3.97 ERA, was tagged for six runs in three innings.

Ernie Clement doubled and later homered, while Myles Straw contributed a run-scoring double that gave the Blue Jays the edge. Springs issued multiple walks, adding to a tough night for an A’s staff that had already posted the second highest ERA in the majors this season.

The Athletics’ bullpen, which came in with a 6.07 ERA, couldn’t contain the Blue Jays’ offense either. In the fifth inning, George Springer delivered an RBI single and Alejandro Kirk followed with a two-run single to push Toronto’s advantage to 9-5. A’s pitchers combined for nine walks on the night, consistently putting pressure on the defense.

Shea Langeliers briefly cut into the deficit with a solo home run in the fourth, his tenth of the year, while Brent Rooker added a two-run double in the fifth. Lawrence Butler extended his hitting streak in the ninth with an RBI double that scored Denzel Clarke, who had singled moments earlier. Miguel Andujar also doubled and came around to score in the ninth, highlighting a late rally that ultimately fell short.

Jacob Wilson, who has been one of the bright spots for the A’s this season, delivered an RBI single in the third that plated Butler. Wilson, batting over .340 in May, continued to show his potential as a key contributor for the green and gold. Despite these efforts, the Athletics never managed to hold a lead at any point in the game.

The defeat dropped the Athletics to 23-35, now 11 games under .500. They have lost 15 of their last 17 games and are 3-18 over their last 21 contests. In addition, they’ve allowed 50 home runs in May alone, the most in the majors. Friday’s game also extended the A’s streak to 11 straight games allowing at least one home run, with Clement and Barger both going deep for Toronto.

The A’s will look to snap their eight-game road losing streak Saturday as RHP Gunnar Hoglund (1-2 ERA 5.13) takes the mound in search of his second win of the season. With a team ERA that ranks second highest in the majors and a bullpen that has struggled to hold leads, Hoglund will need to set the tone early to give the Athletics a chance. The Blue Jays will counter with RHP Braydon Fisher (1-0 ERA 0.00) first pitch 12:07pm PDT.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.