The Toronto Blue Jays opened their series against the Kansas City Royals with a frustrating 5-3 loss Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.
Toronto fell behind early as the Royals built a lead against veteran starter Max Scherzer. The Blue Jays were unable to generate enough offence through the first eight innings and entered the ninth facing a four-run deficit.
The Blue Jays mounted a late rally in the final inning. Nathan Lukes delivered a two-run single to bring Toronto back into the game, but the comeback ended when Lukes was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a double.
The loss dropped Toronto to 64-69 on the season. Kansas City, meanwhile, continued its strong run of form with its ninth consecutive victory. The Royals limited Toronto’s offence for most of the night and did enough at the plate to secure the series-opening win.
