Yesavage’s sixth unravels as Orioles crush Blue Jays 13-3

Orioles crush – Trey Yesavage looked composed early for the Blue Jays, but the sixth inning flipped Toronto’s lead into a blowout. Coby Mayo’s no-doubter after an Orioles rally capped a five-run frame and Baltimore went on to defeat Toronto 13-3 at Rogers Centre.

TORONTO — Trey Yesavage’s frustration showed up before the numbers did.

The right-hander left a slider in the middle of the zone to Orioles third baseman Coby Mayo. and Mayo didn’t just make contact—he unloaded. Yesavage turned toward left field knowing the ball was gone, only wondering how far it would travel. When it finally landed in the front row of the second deck at Rogers Centre. it didn’t just add to Baltimore’s momentum. It added an exclamation point to the sixth inning that ultimately changed everything for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Instead of protecting the 3-1 lead the Blue Jays had built by the sixth, Toronto’s night ended in a 13-3 loss in front of 41,801.

“They put good swings on him,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of the turning point. “Happened kind of quick.”

The opening of the three-game series between the AL East rivals marked their fifth matchup in the last nine days. Baltimore had already found a way to frustrate Yesavage last weekend, drawing seven walks against him, but early Friday it looked like he had been able to reset.

After allowing a first-inning solo homer to Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Yesavage settled down, retiring 15 of the next 16 batters. Weak contact kept his pitch count low. and Toronto used the momentum to take that 3-1 lead by the sixth with a two-run homer from catcher Brandon Valenzuela. Given the Blue Jays have yet to determine a starter for Saturday. it appeared Yesavage might give them a longer outing.

Then the sixth inning began to slip.

Jackson Holliday doubled to open the frame. After striking out Taylor Ward, Yesavage went to 0-2 against Gunnar Henderson. Henderson battled back to an eight-pitch walk, and Rutschman followed with a two-run double. Pinch-hitter Jeremiah Jackson added an RBI single. and then Mayo launched his no-doubter to cap the five-run inning and end Yesavage’s night.

“I can’t put my finger on anything that changed, but it was just a matter of compounding mistakes that just a lot of damage got done,” Yesavage said.

Yesavage also pointed to how different his starts have been from one to the next. After his last start, he looked at video and found his body was falling back toward first base during his delivery. He said he corrected that on Friday, which helped with his command.

Still, the Orioles adjusted.

“There’s two totally different starts,” Yesavage said. “Last time, gave up one run on seven walks, which is surprising. But today. I had the ball in the zone and was getting hit around the park a little bit there in the sixth inning. So, it’s just the way the game works. It’s not going to be perfect every day I go out there. But just moving on to the next one.”.

By the end of it, the rookie allowed six runs—his total tied to a career-high mark—while his ERA climbed nearly a full run to 3.16.

If you look at what has happened in a longer stretch, the loss fits into the first rough patch of Yesavage’s brief, whirlwind career. Over his past three starts, he has allowed 11 walks and 12 runs over 17.1 innings. He said during times like these, his priority is staying confident.

“I really just dig deep down and remember who I am and there’s a reason why I’m here,” Yesavage said.

That “reason” is rooted in the expectations that have followed him since his college days were only two years ago. His apex during the Blue Jays’ postseason run raised the ceiling for how opponents and fans now view him.

Schneider addressed that directly when asked what Yesavage needs to do to get back on track.

“I think people probably put some unrealistic expectations on a guy who was basically unhittable at times in the highest possible stress situations as a rookie,” the manager said.

Schneider didn’t frame it as needing a major overhaul.

“I don’t think he has to do anything crazy,” he said. “I just think he’s focused on getting ahead of hitters and executing when he does that. I’m not going to read too much into it. He’s still one of our best pitchers.”

For Toronto, the result continued a wider pattern that has made it hard to string together momentum. Two victories in Baltimore were followed by two dispiriting losses. Thursday’s encouraging win over Chris Sale and the Braves was then followed by a clunker that unravelled with sloppy defence and baserunning in the later innings.

Schneider summed up the frustration in plain terms.

“It’s frustrating for sure when you can put a game like yesterday together and then feel like you’re kind of where you should be and then have it be basically a tale of two different games,” he said.

Trey Yesavage Toronto Blue Jays Baltimore Orioles Coby Mayo Adley Rutschman Gunnar Henderson Jackson Holliday Brandon Valenzuela Jeremiah Jackson John Schneider AL East