Blue Jays Throttled by Dodgers in World Series Rematch as Losing Streak Hits Five
Blue Jays manager John Schneider and his players might insist that Monday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers was just another game, but the reality told a different story. For the reeling Toronto squad and a hopeful-turned-anxious crowd of 40,991 at Rogers Centre, it was anything but routine. Instead of finding redemption and closure from their gut-wrenching Game 7 loss in the World Series 157 nights earlier, the Jays endured a dispiriting rout at the hands of the reigning champions.
A Dispiriting Defeat
On Monday night, the powerhouse Dodgers took full advantage of whatever is ailing the Blue Jays—both physically and otherwise—romping to a 14-2 victory. Sportsnet had heavily billed the contest as "The Rematch," but for the Dodgers, it was more about meticulously taking care of business. They ruthlessly booted the Jays toward a fifth consecutive loss, matching the longest such streak in all of 2025. The game was as good as over when veteran pitcher Max Scherzer exited after just two innings, victimized by a mystery ailment that forced the Jays to rely on a procession of bullpen arms, starting with minor leaguers Josh Fleming and Joe Mantiply.
Key Factors in the Loss
Even with excuses, this was a kick in the pants for the Blue Jays, who at 4-6 have started the new season looking nothing like the team that ended 2025. An illness sweeping through the clubhouse may have sapped much of their energy, but getting throttled by the Dodgers only adds to the misery and the challenge that awaits in two more games in the series. For public consumption, the game may have meant more to the fans than the players—Game 9 of 162, after all—but it was played on the same field where many of them suffered the most crushing loss of their lives back in November.
Dodgers' Offensive Onslaught
Working on their own mini sample size, the Dodgers improved to 8-2 with their fourth consecutive win, a pummeling that followed a weekend in Washington where they put up 31 runs in a three-game sweep of the Nationals. Playing a hobbled opponent or not, the Dodgers clearly fancy coming to Toronto and flashing offence. This is a team, little need of reminder, that had 58 hits and 10 home runs in its four World Series games here last fall and arrived in their lone Canadian visit ready to inflict more damage.
The assault continued on Monday with five more homers—including one each from superstar Shohei Ohtani, former Jays fan favorite Teoscar Hernandez, and Freddie Freeman, plus a pair from Dalton Rushing. The Dodgers smacked out a whopping 17 hits and 14 runs. Whether the Jays waved the white flag or not after Scherzer exited, there was no other way to paint it: a humiliating night all around.
What's Going Wrong for the Blue Jays?
How much time do you have? Starting pitching is hobbled, one of their best players is out for weeks and possibly months, and a flu bug is running rampant in the clubhouse. After getting swept by last year's worst team in the American League (the White Sox) and losing two of three to the worst team in all of MLB (the Rockies), the Jays returned home looking to save face against the Dodgers. It didn't end well.
Through seven innings, the Dodgers got at least one run across in all but the second, scoring multiple runs in four of those frames. The Jays' bats remain a concern, as the still-dormant offence has yet to fire with any authority, managing just one run in their previous two games. They only had one run on four hits before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sent out position player Miguel Rojas to mop things up in the ninth.
Pitching Crisis and Manager's Perspective
Pitching is approaching crisis state, particularly on the starting side, but the bullpen is getting overused and worn down. Even with Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios working towards a return, the potential exists for a rough ride over the next week or more. Put another way: the Jays have used 18 different pitchers thus far, a total that according to Sportsnet matches a club record through the first 10 games of a season.
While Schneider alluded to the illness—which certainly could be debilitating—he acknowledged that the Jays' dodgy start has been concerning. Injuries and illness are one thing; sloppiness and inefficient at-bats are another. "Baseball happens," the manager said of his team's poor play prior to Monday's game. "Whether it's guys getting off to a slow start offensively, defensively, or on the mound, it always gets heightened in the beginning of the season. If you hit a rough patch in July, you move on. We just have to do that right now."
Schneider, who was pointedly critical of his players in Chicago, is optimistic that it will turn around, not that he has a choice but to believe it. "The guys are really good on that," Schneider said. "Our job is to remind them of that and just make sure they get on track and worry about Toronto Blue Jays baseball. But (is the poor start) uncharacteristic? Yeah. Mistakes are going to happen, and the quicker we can just move on, the better we're gonna be."
Looking Ahead
The Jays will have two more chances against the Dodgers and will do so with their top-drawer starters Kevin Gausman followed by Dylan Cease. The difficulty, of course, is that the Dodgers will counter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani. Finally, for comic relief on Monday, Schneider had catcher Tyler Heineman discard his gear and come in to pitch the ninth. Remarkably, it was Heineman's second pitching appearance in 10 games, an entertaining 1-2-3 inning that provided a brief moment of levity in an otherwise dismal night.
