Hoffman walked off as Blue Jays suffer another crushing defeat vs. Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. — In theory, everyone agrees.

Struggling to hit homers and taxing the bullpen every night is not the way anyone wants to do things. Manager John Schneider knows it, the Blue Jays’ hitters know it, and their relievers certainly do, too. 

Yet as this latest game against the Angels showed, understanding the need for change is one thing, and implementing it is another. Eventually, the Blue Jays might find new ways to win — doing so is likely essential if they’re going to contend — but another tense game unfolded Wednesday until Jorge Soler cleared the bases with a ninth-inning double to walk off Jeff Hoffman and give the Angels a 5-4 win.

Jose Berrios pitched well, two bunt hits contributed to a three-run rally in the seventh, and Yariel Rodriguez and Brendon Little did their part, but the Blue Jays still fell to 16-20 on the season as they lost an entirely winnable game.

“There were some pitches that should be more executed than they were,” Hoffman said from a quiet visiting clubhouse after the game. “So I’ll put a focus on that and try to do better next time.”

“He just left some pitches up,” Schneider said. “That’s a tough one, but Hoff’s going to be good for us the whole year. This is a (crappy) stretch. This is a tough stretch. Guys are feeling it, but we’re in a position to win every game. Hoff is such a big part of what we’re doing this year and for years to come. It happens to closers. It sucks when it happens back to back. Tough couple outings, but he’s been lights out for us.”

After the game, Schneider had a brief message for the team: keep pushing and trust that better results will follow from continued preparation and effort.

“I feel like we’ve been operating with three round wheels and one square wheel,” the manager said. “It’s not quite there, and when it gets there, you’ll kind of forget about this. But for right now, you want to get the hell out of here, get to bed, wake up tomorrow and start it all over.”

“It’ll turn,” Schneider added. “This is a long-ass season. As frustrating as it is right now, we’ve been in position to win a lot of games, and we’ve got to break through.”

On a night the Blue Jays failed to add to their MLB-trailing total of 25 home runs, most of their offence came from small ball. With the game tied at one in the seventh, Andres Gimenez bunted Ernie Clement to third with a base hit. It was a close play, and Gimenez later left the game as a precaution due to quad soreness, but the base hit set up a Myles Straw single to give the Blue Jays the lead.

After another bunt hit from Jonatan Clase, Bo Bichette drove in two with a single to left, giving the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead. After scoreless outings from Rodriguez and Little, the Blue Jays turned it over to their closer in the hopes of evening the series.

But while Hoffman sat 97 m.p.h. with his fastball, his command wasn’t sharp as he worked for the second night in a row and the 16th time this season. Mentally, he said part of his job is to put nights like this behind him quickly. And physically, he has no complaints.

“I feel good,” he said. “I’m recovering well. I feel like I’m ready to go on the nights I need to be. Nothing out of the ordinary, so I’m cruising along and we’ll keep our nose to the grindstone and just keep going.”

Earlier in the game, a compelling pitching duel unfolded between Berrios and one of his former teammates. For the Blue Jays, Berrios allowed just two runs — homers by Yoan Moncada and Kyren Paris — in six-plus innings of work. While he walked five and balked for just the second time as a Blue Jay, his nine strikeouts helped him escape trouble in the first and fifth.

“Breaking ball was really good,” Schneider said. “One of his better outings for sure.”

Afterwards, Berrios stressed the importance of rebounding from tough losses like this. He sees a potential benefit to playing high-stress baseball early, and said these losses can turn to wins if the team stays focused and positive.

“We don’t want to be in this position of losing games like that, but that’s baseball,” Berrios said. “Tomorrow’s another opportunity, and we need to stay together as a team.”

Pitching opposite Berrios was Yusei Kikuchi, who was facing the Blue Jays for the first time since they traded him last summer. He matched Berrios with six strong innings, striking out six while allowing just one run on five hits with one walk. 

But Hoffman allowed three runs for the second time in as many nights, allowing the Angels back in and leading to more pain for the Blue Jays.

“Baseball’s a tough game,” Berrios said. “You lose a game like that, sometimes you get frustrated. But we understand that’s part of the game.”

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