TORONTO — The bottom of the sixth inning went exactly according to plan for the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday night. Bo Bichette doubled, Daulton Varsho drove him home and the Blue Jays tied the Houston Astros 2-2.

As for the top of the seventh, it couldn’t have gone much worse. A fielding error by reliever Zach Pop got the Astros started, and two batters later Jose Altuve had given Houston the lead again with a single to right field. After a line-out by Alex Bregman, manager John Schneider went to the bullpen, only to see the inning deteriorate further.

Right-hander Jose Cuas entered and intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez before allowing a two-run single to Yainer Diaz, hitting the next two batters and leaving the field to a chorus of boos. By the time the inning ended, 10 batters and three Blue Jays relievers later, Houston was leading by four, well on the way to a 9-2 win.

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"It starts with the ball back to Zach. You've got to field it and make the play," Schneider said. “They took advantage of some mistakes, whether it was the hit by pitches, mis-located pitches, whatever it is. Just overall, collectively, (relievers) need to make some big pitches and get the outs.”

Losses like this were once surprising for the Blue Jays — devastating, even. But as the season has progressed, and they’ve continued underperforming, these defeats have become less remarkable. On Wednesday, the Astros simply outplayed them.

"It's probably a difficult time for all of us,” starter Yusei Kikuchi said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “Going out there with mixed feelings. You just don't know what's going to happen. So yeah, it's just a difficult time right now.”

The shortcomings of the Blue Jays are most apparent in the bullpen now — and they got more bad news in that department Wednesday — but their offence didn’t do much either.

Facing Ronel Blanco for the first time since he no-hit them in April, the Blue Jays managed two runs on four hits against the right-hander. There were some small steps forward, as Bichette looked better, with a sacrifice fly and that sixth-inning double, while George Springer drew two walks in his return to the leadoff spot. But the lineup combined for just two runs on five hits.

"You take the positives from that and hopefully keep going," Schneider said. "The offence has been pretty consistent over the last couple of weeks. It's unfortunate that a game that was close in the seventh turns into that."

As for Kikuchi, he pitched well, allowing just two earned runs on five hits in 5.2 innings of work. The left-hander allowed his share of hard contact, while topping out at 98.5 m.p.h. on the radar gun and generating 13 swinging strikes — stuff that’s sure to intrigue buyers planning ahead for the July 30 trade deadline.

"He located everything very well," Schneider said. "His stuff was great and I thought he mixed all of his pitches really, really well. He probably deserved a little better."

Yet the most positive development of the day came before first pitch, when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was announced as the starting first baseman for the American League All-Star team. It’s the fourth all-star selection of Guerrero Jr.’s career, nearly halfway to his Hall of Fame father’s total of nine.

“I'm getting closer,” a smiling Guerrero Jr. said Wednesday afternoon.

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Before the game, the Blue Jays shared the news that Jordan Romano underwent arthroscopic surgery on his throwing elbow to repair an impingement. The procedure will sideline Romano for at least the next six weeks, leaving the Toronto bullpen without its most trusted reliever.

If all goes well, Romano could resume throwing in mid-August, setting up a return sometime in September. But by then the end of the season will be in sight, so it would only take one setback to end his year. In the meantime, expect Chad Green to close with Yimi Garcia likely to take over once he returns from the injured list, ideally sometime on the upcoming road trip.

Injuries to Romano and Garcia have depleted the Blue Jays’ bullpen depth, but there have also been poor performances from once-trusted arms like Erik Swanson and Tim Mayza. Compounding matters, the Blue Jays haven’t drafted or developed enough minor-league pitchers to fill the gaps, so they haven’t been able to backfill from within.

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As a result, waiver claims like Cuas and Ryan Burr have ended up pitching in high leverage and the bullpen looks as vulnerable as it has in at least three years. One way or another, the Blue Jays need better arms in their bullpen, and the upcoming trade deadline may offer an opportunity to start addressing that issue for 2025 and beyond.

Until then, there may be more games like this one. First it was Pop facing Altuve with runners on. Next it was Cuas plunking back-to-back hitters with the game on the line. And now the Blue Jays are eight games under .500 again, looking very much like a summer seller.

"We came in with the mentality that we're aiming to get to the World Series and win the World Series," Kikuchi said. "Obviously it's tough, just thinking about that. But all we can do just prepare and just be ready every game that we're out there.”

Blue Jays overmatched as bullpen unravels vs. Astros

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