Aug 9, 2025: Dodgers beat the Blue Jays 5-1 as Clayton Kershaw outduels Max Scherzer; Mookie Betts belts a go-ahead 2-run HR. Toronto still leads the AL East.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
On a Saturday night built for legends, Clayton Kershaw outdueled Max Scherzer and the Dodgers handed the Blue Jays a 5-1 loss. Toronto actually struck first on an Addison Barger RBI single, but Mookie Betts flipped the script with a two-run homer in the fifth and finished with three RBIs. The Jays’ record dips to 68-49, yet they remain three games clear of Boston atop the AL East.
“Betts’ two-run blast in the fifth flipped a 1-0 Toronto lead into a night L.A. never gave back.”
This one had Cooperstown energy from pitch one: two first-ballot Hall of Fame arms trading zeroes, every pitch carrying weight. Toronto blinked first. After the Jays grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second—Bo Bichette singled and scored on Addison Barger’s opposite-field knock—Kershaw tightened the screws. Mookie Betts’ two-run shot in the fifth turned the night, and Los Angeles stacked on enough offense to make it comfortable. Max Scherzer falls to 2-2; he battled, but a few mistakes against an elite lineup proved costly. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tried to spark life with a ringing double in the eighth, but Toronto couldn’t cash it in.
Credit to Barger for the timely swing and Bichette for setting the table, but after that second-inning punch, the Jays couldn’t string traffic together. Kershaw—now 6-2—mixed speeds, disrupted timing, and the Dodgers’ bullpen slammed the door. It’s a reminder that October-level arms punish chase and weak contact, making precision with approach and situational execution paramount. The good news: Toronto’s two most consistent bats remain steady over the long haul. Bichette is slashing .300 with 16 homers and 78 RBIs, and Alejandro Kirk keeps getting on base at a .359 clip while hitting .301. The ingredients are there; converting them into big innings against elite pitching is the next step.
Yes, it’s a loss you wanted, given the stage and the measuring-stick opponent. But the ledger still reads 68-49 and a three-game cushion over the Red Sox. Interleague roadblocks like the Dodgers are useful reality checks—and this one underscored how thin the margin is against top-shelf pitching. Bank the lesson and keep the bigger picture in view: Toronto still controls the division with 45 games to go, and tightening the run-prevention/late-inning formula will matter as much as the occasional marquee duel.
Post-deadline rankings nudged the Blue Jays’ farm from 25th to 27th after the front office shipped out several pitching prospects to bolster the big-league club with Seranthony Domínguez, Shane Bieber, and Louis Varland. That’s the cost of winning now. Even so, the organization’s most intriguing arm keeps trending up: Trey Yesavage punched out nine over five innings of two-run ball for Double-A New Hampshire this week. If his momentum and workload cooperate, a late-season look—perhaps in a controlled role—feels like a realistic conversation. Impact stuff plays, even in short bursts, and October teams often benefit from one fresh, fearless arm.
Ali Sánchez was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, trimming Toronto’s depth behind the big-league tandem. It’s not a headline-grabber—until it is. Catcher is a position where one awkward foul tip can change a month. With no corresponding call-up announced, keep an eye on how the Jays fortify the depth chart. Whether it’s an internal promotion or a small external add, shoring up the third-catcher spot would be prudent for a club with postseason aspirations.
Against arms like Kershaw, the formula is simple but brutal: control the zone, elevate only when you mean to, and win the handful of two-strike at-bats that swing a game. For Toronto, the checkpoints over the next week are clear: more bite in situational hitting, continued settling-in for the new pitching additions, and keeping the rotation lined up so Scherzer, Bieber, and friends can shorten games for a bullpen headlined by Domínguez. Sprinkle in a hot stretch from Vlad Jr. and the usual steadiness from Bichette and Kirk, and this loss becomes just a tough night in an otherwise favorable August arc.
The Dodgers won the legend-versus-legend showcase, but the Jays still hold the steering wheel in the AL East. Toronto’s deadline bets were about October, not August 9. If the bats sharpen against elite pitching and the new arms lock into late-inning roles—while a prospect like Trey Yesavage lurks as a potential boost—the club’s margin over Boston can grow, not shrink. Bank the lesson, win the series in front of you, and keep the focus on playing your best version of October baseball right now.
