Vlad Guerrero Jr.'s streak over as A's batter Blue Jays in six-run first inning to take series

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The post-trade deadline Blue Jays have had moments when their pitching was elite, and times when their hitting, led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., was remarkably good.

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Heck, even the team’s depleted and talent-thin bullpen has stepped up to the metaphorical plate.

Sunday was not one of those moments. With the Oakland A’s in town to play their final game in Toronto before the team relocates to Sacramento next season, the Blue Jays were afforded an opportunity to keep the winning spirit alive. Instead, it was completely washed away in a truly forgettable first inning en route to an 8-4 loss that did not reflect the day’s gloom.

With Vladdy’s hitting streak snapped at 22 games, one of the few moments when the announced crowd of 38,797 showed any signs of life came in the top half of the sixth inning when the Jays infield recorded an out on a rundown between third base and home plate.

And to think the Blue Jays began their six-game homestand by beating a quality Baltimore team two out of three, only to drop two of three to the inferior A’s.

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The first-inning carnage featured 11 Oakland batters coming up to the plate, two home runs surrendered, a hit batter and six runs scored, all off Chris Bassitt, who turned in his second four-inning outing in his past three starts.

The entire team, however, was woefully amiss inside the closed Rogers Centre.

When Daulton Varsho went yard in the fourth inning with his 14th home run of the season, it was Toronto’s first hit of the afternoon off starter and winner J.P. Sears.

The 50-69 A’s ran aggressively in the series finale, even attempting to swipe a bag in a 6-0 game.

The Jays, meanwhile played with a passivity and borderline cockiness, for some reason, which is quite disconcerting because they haven’t done much to justify it this season.

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There was a bit of buzz each time Vladdy stepped up to the plate, but it didn’t have the same kind of emotion as in previous games. Guerrero wound up going 0-for-4 —his first 0-fer since July 14 .

Any way one cares to dissect this latest loss, the word ‘boring’ immediately comes to mind.

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It was over early.

JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof each slugged two-run homers in the fateful first off Bassitt, who allowed A’s leadoff hitter Lawrence Butler to record two hits in the inning.

Butler’s three hits matched the Jays’ entire team total through seven innings.

On the positive side, there was the homer from Varsho, who competed from the first pitch, and Luis De Los Santos, who recorded his first MLB hit when he beat out an infield grounder to third in the sixth inning.

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And the rookie wasn’t done. In the eighth, with Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider on base with walks, De Los Santos drilled a sharply hit ball into the right-field corner to score two runs.

He then came around to score when George Springer hit a single into left field.

Varsho was then hit by a reliever Michel Otanez’s first pitch and, amazingly, the Jays had the tying run in the on-deck circle.

The air would be sucked out of the building, however, when Vladdy hit into his second double play of the game.

A six-game road trip awaits the Jays, beginning Monday in Anaheim against the L.A. Angels.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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