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The Toronto Blue Jays opened their final 30 games of the regular season with a frustrating loss Tuesday, falling 5-3 to the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre. Despite struggling offensively, Toronto had opportunities throughout the night but could not capitalize, dropping its third game in four days.
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The Blue Jays went just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and also committed an error that helped Kansas City score two unearned runs. Toronto finally mounted a late rally in the ninth when Nathan Lukes delivered a two-run single to cut the deficit to 5-3. But the comeback ended moments later when Lukes was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. waiting in the on-deck circle as the potential tying run.
After the game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider pointed to Lukes’ decision to keep running as a key mistake, saying he should have “put the brakes on and kept the inning going” in that situation.
“Everything gets magnified when you’re not scoring,” Schneider said. “Then, I think you get a little over anxious when you’re trying to make something happen” (h/t Keegan Matheson of MLB.com).
John Schneider says that Nathan Lukes should have “put the brakes on and kept the inning going” in that spot.
“Everything gets magnified when you’re not scoring. Then, I think you get a little over anxious when you’re trying to make something happen.” #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 26, 2026
The play was especially costly because Guerrero was next, giving Toronto a chance to bring the tying run to the plate with the game still within reach. Instead, the Blue Jays’ rally ended with Lukes’ baserunning mistake.
Toronto also struggled to generate consistent offense against Kansas City starter Seth Lugo, who allowed one run over five innings. The Royals scored their go-ahead run in the fifth before adding two unearned runs in the sixth following Guerrero’s throwing error.
The loss dropped Toronto to 64-69 on the season and 2.5 games behind the final American League wild card spot, with 29 games remaining. Kansas City, meanwhile, extended its winning streak to nine games.
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This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 7:38 PM.