The Toronto Blue Jays fell to the Los Angeles Angels 7-1 on Sunday at Rogers Centre, as Angels starter Jose Soriano reasserted his dominance after a brief rough patch. The win allowed the Angels to avoid a series sweep.
Soriano's Return to Form
Soriano, who began the season with a remarkable 0.24 ERA over his first six starts, had struggled in his previous two outings, allowing eight earned runs combined. However, against the Blue Jays, he looked like his early-season self, surrendering just one run on an RBI double by Kazuma Okamoto in the first inning. From there, Soriano retired 20 consecutive batters before encountering trouble in the eighth inning. He finished with 7.2 innings pitched, allowing one run on four hits, striking out seven and walking one, improving to 6-2 and lowering his ERA to 1.66.
Blue Jays' Bullpen Struggles
The Blue Jays employed a bullpen day, with Spencer Miles tossing three scoreless innings and Tommy Nance adding a perfect fourth. However, Eric Lauer, who entered in the fifth inning, struggled mightily. He walked Nolan Schanuel and then surrendered a two-run home run to Oswald Peraza, giving the Angels a 2-1 lead. Lauer later allowed a two-run double to Vaughn Grissom and solo home runs to Jo Adell in the sixth and ninth innings. Overall, Lauer pitched five innings, allowing six runs on four hits and two walks, falling to 1-5 on the season.
Lauer, a key part of the Blue Jays' rotation last year, has struggled in 2026. He has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with being used in a bullpen role, but manager John Schneider reminded him that such decisions are not for the pitcher to make.
Game Summary
The Blue Jays took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on an infield single by Daulton Varsho and an RBI double by Okamoto. However, the Angels responded in the fifth with Peraza's home run and never looked back. Grissom's two-run double in the sixth extended the lead to 5-1, and Adell's two solo shots sealed the victory.
The Blue Jays will look to bounce back on Monday as they host the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre, with first pitch scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
