Minnesota Twins win rubber match of series with 8-2 victory over Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, centre, is surrounded by teammates as he gets pulled from the game during third inning American League MLB baseball action against the Minnesota Twins in Toronto on Sunday, April 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO — Even though the Toronto Blue Jays are only at the 15-game mark, veteran pitcher Max Scherzer believes the time is right for his teammates to look in the mirror to figure out how to start winning again.

The struggling starting pitcher included himself in his post-game missive after he stumbled in an 8-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins (9-7) on Sunday. The Blue Jays (6-9) lost their fourth straight series and finished a six-game homestand with only two wins.

“Everybody has to look in the mirror and figure out what they can do better,” said the 42-year-old Scherzer (1-2). “You can’t feel sorry for yourselves.

“This is the big leagues.”

Scherzer departed after throwing 68 pitches over 2 1/3 innings. He surrendered eight runs on five hits with two walks, a hit batter and three strikeouts.

Tristan Gray and Kody Clemens belted monster homers to right field off Scherzer before 37,804 spectators at Rogers Centre.

Scherzer left his previous outing early because of right forearm tightness. He said he wasn’t bothered by his forearm ailment against the Twins.

“Today I got beat with walks and missed executions. I paid for it,” said Scherzer, who added he was able to throw all his pitches. “Hopefully (the injury) is behind us.

“There are no excuses. You either win or lose.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider felt his veteran starter’s location was off. As a result, the walks and hit batter put Scherzer in trouble.

“I just thought he wasn’t really finishing the break on a couple of pitches,” Schneider said

Scherzer, Eric Lauer and Patrick Corbin struggled in their starts versus the Twins.

“(Scherzer’s) outing kind of seemed like the same outing as Lauer, where in an inning-and-a-half nothing was working,” Schneider said. “It was just a couple of innings from the starters that really didn’t go our way.

“It wasn’t ideal.”

The American League champions were 8-7 at the 15-game mark a year ago. Schneider shared the fan base’s disappointment with his club’s start in 2026.

“Yeah, not great,” said Schneider, whose team is 6-6 at Rogers Centre. “You want to win here more than we did, obviously.

“I think a lot of that comes down to just hitting with runners in scoring position.”

The Blue Jays had 12 hits with 12 runners left on base and have gone 1-for-20 with the bases loaded this season.

“We’re missing some guys,” said Schneider, whose team played its first game without George Springer, who fractured his left big toe Saturday. “It’s not an excuse, but I think we’re missing that hit to kind of keep that flow where it should be.

“You just have to push on through. The minute you start thinking about it or dwelling on it, it keeps going. It could be a grand slam. It could be a broken bat. It could be a swinging bunt. You need something to go, and then hopefully it turns for us.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2026.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press