The Toronto Blue Jays’ bats went silent on Monday, and a disastrous outing from Eric Lauer sealed their fate in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels. After scoring a single run in the first inning, the Jays’ offense vanished, failing to record another base runner until the eighth. They managed to load the bases in that frame, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out weakly to third, extinguishing the rally.

The Blue Jays mustered just five hits on the day. Daulton Varsho led the way with two, including a hustle infield single. Ernie Clement, Kazuma Okamoto, and Myles Straw each contributed one hit. However, the lineup struggled mightily: Guerrero Jr. looked lost at the plate, Jesus Sanchez struck out three times, and Lenyn Sosa fanned twice.

On the mound, Spencer Miles was a bright spot, delivering three stellar innings with two hits allowed, two strikeouts, and no runs. Tommy Nance followed with a clean fourth inning. Then came Eric Lauer, and the wheels fell off. His inning unfolded like a nightmare: walk, home run, ground out, strikeout, double, walk, double. Four runs crossed the plate, effectively ending the game.

Lauer finished with five innings pitched, allowing five hits, six earned runs, three home runs, two walks, and four strikeouts. After a strong 2024 campaign, he’s been a shadow of himself in 2025, with his velocity down and his ERA ballooning to 6.69. It’s a tough spot for the Jays, who lack an obvious replacement. Shane Bieber won’t be ready for another month, José Berríos is dealing with inflammation, and Max Scherzer, now past 40, is healing slower than expected.

Injury news also hit the lineup: Addison Barger is scheduled for an MRI on his elbow after waking up with limited range of motion, according to manager John Schneider.

Looking ahead, the Blue Jays return home to face the Tampa Bay Rays—a welcome change from Tropicana Field. Drew Rasmussen (2-1, 2.95 ERA) takes the mound against Kevin Gausman (2-1, 3.09 ERA) in what promises to be a pivotal matchup for Toronto’s struggling rotation.