The Toronto Blue Jays had a chance to symbolically erase what has been a frustrating start to the season. Sitting at 16-17 after taking two of the first three games against the Minnesota Twins, the game on Sunday (May 3) represented a chance for the Blue Jays to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 4-4 on Apr. 4.
They were also gifted an even greater opportunity when Twins' starter Joe Ryan left the game just nine pitches into his start. On a 3-2 pitch to Kazuma Okamoto, Ryan missed high to walk the Blue Jays' third baseman and then immediately pointed to the dugout.
The Twins make a pitching change after Joe Ryan exits the game after facing two batters. pic.twitter.com/kHGcreUZ1a
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 3, 2026
Ryan was removed from the game and said that it was right elbow soreness. What that meant for the Blue Jays though, is that they would get to face the Twins bullpen for the rest of the game, pitching in an emergency situation. It should have been a feast for the Blue Jays hitters. A chance to win the four game series and get back to .500.
Instead, four relievers scattered seven hits and allowed just one run until the ninth inning, holding the Twins in front 4-1. In the ninth, it looked like the Blue Jays might finally break through, when they got a two-run home run from Okamoto to make it 4-3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jesús Sánchez hit back-to-back singles to get the tying run in scoring position with only one out.
Lenyn Sosa then hit a hard ground ball up the middle but second baseman Luke Keaschall picked it up and ended the game with a 4-6-3 double play. While the final score was close, a late ninth inning rally doesn't excuse the lack of production from the previous eight innings and it's not like the Blue Jays were facing a Twins bullpen. That has been lights out this season.
Blue Jays needed to do better against a struggling Twins bullpen
The first three pitchers, Andrew Morris, Taylor Rogers, Eric Orze all had ERA's north of 4.50 coming into the game. They were also ranked 23rd out of the 30 teams in terms of bullpen fWAR at 0.1. In 115 innings pitched, they had accumulated a 4.85 xERA, had a BB/9 rate of 4.62 and had allowed a BABIP of .320. If there was any bullpen for the Blue Jays to take advantage of, it was this one.
Perhaps missing George Springer played a role. The veteran DH left Saturday's game after taking a pitch off his foot - the same foot that was fractured back on Apr. 11. But as a whole, the Blue Jays just simply put together some uninspiring at-bats. Including one in the sixth inning that prompted manager John Schneider to take Tyler Heineman out of the game.
The Blue Jays were beginning to rally. They had scored a run on a bunt single by Daulton Varsho early in the inning, and Andrés Giménez was just hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Up stepped Heineman and on the first pitch he swung at a 78.5 mph sweeper that was up and in on the hands.
After the game Heineman was asked about being removed after the plate appearance and he said that it was a managers decision. He said, “Just situation, everything that's been going on, and I just didn't get it done. Manager’s decision. I stick by it. One of the best managers in the game, the best manager I played for. He has a reason for everything he does. And I fully support him.”
Tyler Heineman said it was “just situation, everything that's been going on, and I just didn't get it done. Manager’s decision. I stick by it. One of the best managers in the game, the best manager I played for. He has a reason for everything he does. And I fully support him.” https://t.co/R68GDcIFTJ
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) May 3, 2026
Heineman also clarified that, "That at-bat was pretty trash. I popped up on a pitch I should have drove. I've been pretty crappy the last, I don't know, 10 games or so. Probably saw something that he shouldn't have saw or that I did wrong and he made his decision.”