Giants climb back into series finale, but are swept away by Blue Jays

Too little, too late.

That’s how it went for the San Francisco Giants Sunday in absorbing a three-game sweep at the hands of the A.L. East-leading Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center.

Trailing 7-2, the Giants (52-48) climbed within a run with a four-run sixth inning but ultimately fell 8-6 in losing their fifth straight game, including two losses to the Dodgers heading into the All-Star break.

“We finally swung the bats better, gave ourselves a chance at the end but gave up too many runs in the middle,” Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters. “I don’t think there’s any silver lining in this one. We got swept in a series to start the second half and it’s not what we were looking for.”

The last two wins for the Blue Jays came against Giants’ All-Star starting pitchers, Robbie Ray and Logan Webb. Toronto, in command in their division at 58-41, tied a franchise record with 10 straight wins at home.

Ray fought with his command and didn’t get out of the fifth inning, falling to 9-4. Jose Berrios (6-4) was the winning pitcher, getting help from four relievers. Yariel Rodriguez pitched the ninth for his second save.

Toronto got home runs from Vladimir Guerrero (No. 13), George Springer (No. 17) and Addison Barger (No. 14). Matt Chapman homered for the Giants in the sixth, his 13th of the season.

Chapman knocked out Berrios in the sixth with an opposite-field two-run home run to right to bring the Giants within 7-4. Chapman’s blow drove in Rafael Devers, who hit a single off the fence in right at 106 miles per hour.

Brett Wisely hit a run-scoring single against Braydon Fisher to get the Giants within 7-5. Fisher was removed in favor of Justin Bruihl, with Jung Hoo Lee hitting a single to center to bring home Wisely to make it 7-6. Lee, attempting to take second on a throw to the plate, was called out on appeal at second base after over-sliding the bag.

“It’s the right play and he’s safe if he doesn’t slightly come off the bag,” Melvin said.

A two-out rally by Toronto in the sixth resulted in an RBI single by Guerrero against Tyler Rogers to put the Blue Jays up 8-6.

The Giants scratched out a run against Berrios in the fifth on Andrew Knizner’s run-scoring single to get within 3-2, an inning in which there was a chance for more.

Chapman singled to deep short to open the inning, and Dominic Smith walked — the first walk drawn by the Giants 22 innings into the series. Wisely was ruled out in a nine-pitch at-bat that resulted in an infield fly for an automatic out on a play in which Leo Jimenez lost in the sun.

Knizner singled in a run, but Berrios finished a 29-pitch inning without giving up another run, getting Lee to hit into a force play and striking out Heliot Ramos.

Toronto wasted no time in getting that run back and then some, with Springer unloading a home run to left field. Two batters later, after a double by Bo Bichette, Ray was done in favor of Spencer Bivens after 4 1/3 innings. Ray gave up five hits, five earned runs and walked five with three strikeouts. He threw 95 pitches, 51 of them strikes.

It was Ray’s first game in Toronto since winning the Cy Young Award in 2021 with the Blue Jays.

“We know Robbie pretty well,” Toronto manager John Schneider told reporters. “He threw a lot more offspeed than we were accustomed to seeing with the change-up and curve ball and he’s still a really good pitcher. We were just kind of hunting in the middle and trying to hit some mistakes.”

Alejandro Kirk reached Bivens for a single on a pitch outside the strike that drove home Bichette, with Barger breaking it open with a two-run home run into the right field second deck for a 7-2 lead.

With Ray struggling to find the strike zone and his pitch count climbing, Toronto scored two runs in the third inning on a line-drive double to left with two out by Bichette.

Ernie Clement was aboard with a one-out hustle double to left, with Guerrero joining him on the bases after drawing a walk with two outs. Bichette then hit a 98 miles per hour liner that temporarily froze Ramos. Ramos then took a step in before the ball sailed over his head, with Clement and Guerrero both scoring.

“It’s a hard hit ball right at him, a ballpark maybe you’re not used to,” Melvin said. “Sometimes you can lose it. I think he just misread it.”

With the roof open for the 12th time this season and the third straight day, the Giants capitalized right away. Lee, batting leadoff, hit a lazy fly to left that David Schneider lost in the sun. Lee wound up on second base with a gift double, and Ramos singled to left to drive him in.

That snapped an 0 for 10 streak by the Giants in the series with runners on base. Devers was next, and he smoked a Berrios pitch at 106.5 miles per hour directly at shortstop Bichette, with Ramos making it back to first. Willy Adames followed by grounding into a double play.

The Blue Jays evened things up with one out in the first when Guerrero hit a 420-foot blast to center field at 105.4 miles per hour. It came on an outside curve that Ray elevated and put in harm’s way.

Braves up next

Hayden Birdsong, who was skipped over for his last start before the All-Star Game to squeeze in another for Ray against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starts against Atlanta in his first outing since July 6. Birdsong is 4-3 with a 4.11 earned run average and went five innings in a win over the A’s two weeks ago, so he’s had plenty of rest. He’ll be opposed by Bryce Elder (3-6, 5.65) at 4:15 p.m. (PDT).

Landon Roupp (6-6, 3.27) opposes Davis Daniel (0-0, 1.80) on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. with Justin Verlander (0-8, 4.99) taking another run at his first win as a Giant in a Wednesday matinee (9:15 a.m.) against Spencer Strider (4-7, 3.59).

The Giants return home on Friday for three games against the New York Mets and three against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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