Blue Jays falter late in sixth straight loss as Rangers earn four-game sweep

By: Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press Posted: 3:45 PM CDT Sunday, Jun. 28, 2026

TORONTO - Pinch-runner Jarred Kelenic scored from second base on a Louis Varland wild pitch in the ninth inning to give the Texas Rangers a 3-2 win and a four-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

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TORONTO – Pinch-runner Jarred Kelenic scored from second base on a Louis Varland wild pitch in the ninth inning to give the Texas Rangers a 3-2 win and a four-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

Varland’s ball in the dirt bounced off catcher Alejandro Kirk to the screen near the Rangers’ on-deck circle. By the time Kirk picked up on where the ball had finished, Kelenic rounded third and scored.

The Blue Jays (39-45) matched their season-long losing streak at six games before 40,898 at Rogers Centre. Varland (3-3) took the loss.

Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) runs the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during first inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Sunday June 28, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker

Toronto had tied the series finale 2-2 in the eighth on a one-out, two-run 404-foot ripper into the right-field seats from Nathan Lukes off reliever Cole Winn (3-2). Texas reliever Tyler Alexander pitched a clean ninth for his fourth save.

After Joc Pederson’s lead-off longball, Texas (42-42) added another run in the fifth with a bases-loaded bloop single from Elias Diaz off reliever Adam Macko.

Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber was on the hook for the second run. He lasted 5 1/3 innings with four hits, four walks and four strikeouts.

Rangers starter Kumar Rocker tossed six shutout innings, striking out five with a walk and four hits.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 0 for 9 in the final two games of the series.

Takeaways

Blue Jays: After going 1 for 4 with a sixth-inning single in his Major League Baseball debut on Saturday, 23-year-old Sean Keys did not play in the series finale.

Rangers: Pederson’s first-pitch homer into the Texas bullpen in right field was his second lead-off longball in the series and 29th of his career.

Key moment

Bieber fanned Josh Jung for the second out of the fifth inning for his 1,000th career strikeout. He went on to strike out the side in the fifth.

Key stat

The Blue Jays allowed a run in the first inning in each of the seven games of their homestand so far.

Up next

Bo Bichette returns with the New York Mets (35-48) to begin a three-game series against Toronto. Entering Sunday, the shortstop hit 10 homers, 46 RBI and a .254 average.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2026.