Blue Jays Avoid Sweep with Resilient Win Before Road Trip
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays showed some much-needed resilience Sunday, bouncing back from consecutive losses to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 at Rogers Centre and head into their next road trip on a winning note.
The turning point came in the fifth inning when reliever Tommy Nance stepped in with the bases loaded and just one out. He struck out Andrew Vaughn and forced Isaac Collins into a groundout, silencing the threat and energizing the dugout. Toronto immediately capitalized in the bottom half of the inning, with Tyler Heineman driving in a run and Myles Straw adding a two-run single to seize control of the game.
“We definitely needed to win,” Nance said afterward. “Sometimes baseball isn’t about home runs — it’s about finding different ways to win, and this team does that.”
The victory allowed Toronto to salvage one game in the three-game set after dropping the first two, both of which highlighted bullpen struggles. On Sunday, however, the relief corps held strong, combining for five scoreless innings behind starter Max Scherzer, who gave up four runs over four frames.
With the win, the Blue Jays (79-58) maintained their three-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East, as New York fell 3-2 to the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers also remained just ahead of Toronto in the league standings with a win over Kansas City.
“Every game matters at this point,” said Straw. “We just have to take it day by day and focus on getting wins.”
Toronto manager John Schneider echoed that sentiment as the club prepares for a key stretch of games. “The goal doesn’t change — you’re trying to win every series,” he said.
The Blue Jays will open a three-game interleague series in Cincinnati on Monday, with Chris Bassitt (11-7) facing Reds starter Hunter Greene (5-4), before heading to New York for a pivotal matchup against the Yankees.
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Toronto also made roster moves Sunday, reclaiming infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa off waivers from Pittsburgh. The versatile veteran, who played with the Jays in 2024, will be eligible for the postseason roster. Meanwhile, reliever Yimi Garcia was placed on the 60-day injured list after being scheduled for season-ending elbow surgery.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 31, 2025.
