Toronto Blue Jays Blow Out A's in Opener

The Athletics have dropped the first game of the series with the Toronto Blue Jays by a score of 12-0. The team has now lost three games in a row after being swept in a two-game set against the Houston Astros, and now have lost the first game of the series in Toronto. They have now lost 13 of their past 14 contests.

A's starter Jacob Lopez was coming off an amazing start against the Philadelphia Phillies, in which he punched out eight Phillies' hitters. That is actually be the most strikeouts by any A's pitcher so far this season.

However, his amazing start didn't quite carry over into today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. After a scoreless first inning, things came tumbling down for Lopez in the second inning. An Alejandro Kirk single and an Anthony Santander walk would set up a three-run bomb by former Athletic Ernie Clement.

Bo Bichette would double in the inning to set up yet another long-ball on Jacob Lopez, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sent one yard, helping to give the Jays a 8-0 lead after two. The A's would turn to right-hander Anthony Maldonado with two outs in the second, and he wouldn't do much better. He would go on to allow four runs on four hits and three walks. His struggles at the big league level continue, as his ERA now stands at 12.00 in limited work.

The lone bright spot for the A's in the blowout would come in the form of the return of Sean Newcomb. On Tuesday, the A's elected to swing a trade and re-acquire an familiar face in the lefty. The Hartford product gave the A's more than 3 solid innings of relief, allowing nothing but weak contact and finished with 3.1 innings pitched with thee hits, a walk, and a pair of strikeouts.

A's left-hander Hogan Harris also tossed an inning, but allowed a run on a couple of hits. The overworked pitching staff would get a break in the eighth inning, as the team tossed backup catcher Willie MacIver on the mound.

MacIver, like most position players, went out to the mound lobbing the ball, and threw multiple pitches under 40 miles per hour. Unlike a majority of the A's pitching staff today, MacIver did not allow a run.

On the other side, Jose Berrios tossed a gem for the Jays. The veteran right-hander went six innings and only allowed two hits, two walks, and notably punched out nine Athletics. The Jays' bullpen also held the A's offense at bay, with left-hander Mason Fluharty and veteran right-hander Jose Ureña tossing an inning each.

The A's offense struggled today, as they only recorded four hits, and didn't score any runs. If the A's want a chance at picking up a couple of wins in Toronto, the offense is going to have to produce. The A's offense isn't the main piece to blame for the team's recent struggles, as the pitching staff has allowed the most extra-base hits in all of Major League Baseball, but the offense is good enough most nights to counteract that somewhat.

It's been a rough month for the A's as they've been battling some tough competition every day. However, it seems like the team is getting down on themselves, and it's translating into poor play on the field.

Perhaps the team could look to acquire an arm, or look into their Triple-A roster for help, but the guys on the 26-man roster need to lock in and make adjustments to start getting back into the win column.