A’s struggles continue with 12-1 loss to Blue Jays

The Oakland Athletics saw their road trip end in disappointing fashion with a 12-1 loss to the Blue Jays Sunday.

Luis Medina’s afternoon got off to a rough start. George Springer sent his second pitch over the wall in left center to give the Blue Jays and early 1-0 lead. Medina then walked Whit Merrifield on four pitches, but came back and struck out Bo Bichette for the first out. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. followed with a single to center that Esteury Ruiz kicked for an error. Merrifield scored on the play to make it 2-0 with Guerrero moving up to second base. Medina recovered to strike out Matt Chapman and then got Cavan Biggio to fly out to avoid any further damage.

Medina found himself in another bind in the second, but again was able to limit the damage. Santiago Espinal and Kevin Kiermaier walked to start the inning and then Tyler Heineman reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Medina then got Springer to bounce into a 5-4-3 double play, Espinal scored to extend the lead to 3-0. Merrifield flew out to right to end the threat.

Oakland’s offense couldn’t do anything against Yusei Kikuchi as he retired nine-straight with four strikeouts to begin the game.

Medina retired the first two hitters in the third, but then pitched himself into another bind. Chapman walked and then moved all the way to third on a single by Biggio. Espinal worked a walk to load the bases again. A wild pitch would score Chapman to give Toronto a fourth run. Medina struck out Kiermaier to end the inning.

Kikuchi retired 10-straight hitters to start the game before Carlos Perez doubled to right for Oakland’s first hit of the game. However, the A’s were unable to do anything with it as Rooker and Aledmys Diaz went down swinging to end the inning.

Medina allowed a one-out walk to Springer in the fourth, but struck out Merrifield and then snatched a line drive from Bichette out of the air to end the inning.

Medina issued a two-out walk to Biggio, his seventh of the game, but nothing else in a scoreless fifth. The A’s got on the board when Tony Kemp took Kikuchi deep to start the sixth inning.

Medina exited after the fifth having allowed four hits and four runs, although only three were earned. He struck out four while throwing 90 pitches. The seven walks were a career-high.

Ken Waldichuk replaced Medina and was greeted by a line drive to center that Ruiz misplayed into a leadoff triple. Waldichuk struck our Heineman, but Springer lifted a deep fly to center for a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-1.

The Blue Jays blew the game wide open against Waldichuk in the seventh. Bichette singled to lead off the inning and then moved to third on double by Guerrero. Waldichuk struckout both Chapman and Biggio, but Espinal drove one over Ruiz’s head in center for a two-run double that pushed the lead to 7-1. Waldichuk was replaced by Yacksel Rios who got Guerrero to ground into a fielder’s choice, Springer scored to make it 9-1. Rios walked Chapman and then served up a three-run home run to Biggio to make it 12-1.

Toronto continued to add on in the eighth. Danny Jansen walked to start the inning and moved to second on a single by Springer. Both runners moved up on a ground out by Merrifield and Bichette made it 8-1 with a single to left.

The A’s drop the series and complete a 1-5 road trip. They are 20-60 on the season and have lost nine of 10 overall. They will enjoy an off day Monday before beginning a six-game road trip with a three-game series against the New York Yankees.