With that, an emotional day ended with another lopsided loss for the Blue Jays. On the field, the team’s pitches were hit hard once again en route to a 7-3 loss. But more important than the game itself, the Blue Jays organization mourned the loss of Julia Budzinski, daughter of first base coach Mark, who died Saturday at age 17. “This tragedy reminds us what is most important in life,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “As a father and husband myself, my heart breaks for Bud.” “This has to be every parent’s worst nightmare,” added frontman Ross Stripling. “We feel him, we love him, we miss him. Obviously we want him to be home with his family and we will see him whenever that is. We want him to spend as much time as he needs.” The loss resonated so deeply in the Blue Jays clubhouse that the idea of not playing came up. But in the end, the Blue Jays played, losing their third straight game to the Rays. A six-run fifth inning by the Rays effectively put the game out of reach for the Blue Jays, who welcomed 35,757 fans to the Rogers Center on a perfect day for baseball. A home run by Harold Ramirez chased first baseman Ross Stripling from the game with the score still 4-1, but Trent Thornton struggled from the jump, allowing a home run to Ji-Man Choi, a single to Isaac Paredes and another home run to Randy Arozarena. . By the time Thornton finally drove in Kevin Kiermaier to get out of the inning, the damage was done, and the Blue Jays were all too familiar with that theme this weekend. After starting the five-game winning streak with two convincing wins, the Blue Jays drifted into Saturday’s doubleheader with questions about the pitching staff arising in each game. Kevin Gausman went 100 mph with his ankle in the opener, putting his availability for his next start in question. He returned Casey Lawrence for his relief efforts, but still allowed six runs. And while that sounds like a lot, it’s far better than what Thomas Hatch could deliver on Saturday night. Making his season debut, the right-hander allowed 10 runs on 12 hits, exposing the team’s lack of starting depth beyond the starting five. In that context, the Rays’ three fifth-inning games hurt a little more than usual. While Thornton has had some big outings this season, the Blue Jays have had to expose him to more high-leverage situations than yet. This time, it failed. Before the game, the Blue Jays observed a moment of silence before today’s game for Julia Budzinski. It appeared that every player, coach and staff member from both teams lined up for a moment of silence — a rarity for a regular-season game that marks respect for the Budzinski family. Thornton and his teammate, David Phelps, were visibly moved as the team stood for a moment of silence. “It’s really hard,” Stripling said. “It’s not a situation I bet any of us have ever been in, where someone so close to home has such a tragic loss. It hits everyone a little differently, especially those of us with children. He was definitely weighing on us… He was heavy on everyone’s hearts today.” On Saturday night, when the news first reached the Blue Jays, Montoyo immediately decided he needed to be with Budzinski, leaving the game management to John Schneider and others so he could provide some support. “The moment it happened, my heart goes out to Bud,” Montoyo said. “The game? We have several coaches who can do a good job, so my job was to be with Mark.” “There are good and great men,” Montoyo added. “He is a great man. You’d ache for anyone, but he’s a special kind of person. Brave. The only thing I can share about what happened: even before he left, he wrote me a note to read to the group as I was going through that tragedy. That tells you everything about Mark Budzinski.” The Blue Jays closed their clubhouse to the media after Saturday’s game to update players on the news. On Sunday morning, the team officially announced the news. “This devastating loss is felt throughout our organization and we mourn alongside Bud and his family,” Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said in a statement released by the team. “I have known Bud for over 25 years and have always admired his commitment as a dad and husband first. He is loved and respected by our entire club and holds a special place in all of our hearts.” With Budzinski out of the lineup, Bulls shortstop Luis Hurtado continued to coach first base on Sunday. Internally, the Blue Jays are working out the details of how coaching assignments will be assigned while Budzinski is away from his typical first base and defensive outfield duties. From here, the Blue Jays head west for three games in Oakland and another four in Seattle. Once out west, they’ll learn more about Gausman’s ankle condition and try to pick up some wins against a track team that has already lost 54 times. If nothing else, they’ll take some space from a weekend that ended badly. At this point, they could probably use it.
