MILWAUKEE — After a nine-run outburst in the series opener, the Toronto Blue Jays’ bats again fell quiet in back-to-back losses against the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite strong pitching, the lack of offence resulted in Toronto’s fifth straight series loss as the Blue Jays fell to 7-11.
The Jays have scored more than four runs in just two of their last 13 games. Perhaps, as they did last year, Toronto’s bats will awaken in the summer. Maybe getting a few key hitters back from injury will inject needed life into the lineup. For now, the Jays just need to find ways to score and win.
“We got to just get back to everyone doing their part,” manager John Schneider said, “whether it’s contact or slug. But seems like we’re kind of missing extra-base hits right now.”
There are, however, some bright spots on the mound and in the field. With a focus on pitching and defence, here are three takeaways from Toronto’s series in Milwaukee.
Varsho’s outfield arm is ‘progressing’
Ever since Daulton Varsho returned from shoulder surgery early last year, the outfielder’s throwing arm has been a constant focal point. Varsho never had a cannon, but he became one of the softest-throwing outfielders in baseball in 2025, and teams began to take advantage.
After 58 throws early this year, the 2026 data has arrived on Varsho’s arm improvements.
At his peak in 2022, Varsho averaged 84.4 mph on outfield throws. Last year, it was down to 73.7 mph. Now, he’s on the way back up, sitting around 81 mph on average in 2026.
“He’s 100 percent back to health,” Blue Jays outfield coach Mark Budzinski said. “He does a really good job with our training staff and his recovery stuff to make sure he’s continuing to gain strength there. It’s just a matter of keeping throwing and needing to work on it. He’s progressing in the right direction. It’s not back to where he was in 2024, but that’s the goal.”
Teams still seem to have Varsho’s arm circled on scouting reports, taking the extra base or testing him at home plate when a ball is hit to centre. Last week, Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas bolted around third on a shallow line drive, forcing Varsho to scoop the ball and fire home.
“When I threw that one,” Varsho said. “I was like ‘Ooh, that came out of my fingers really well.’”
The throw, a moment late as Rojas slid across the plate, was Varsho’s hardest since surgery. He’s since topped that high with an 89.7 mph throw, as well. It’s the product of pregame long toss a couple of times a week with Budzinski, game reps, plus band work and strength training. The Jays have talked with their middle infielders, too, adjusting where relay and cutoff throws should be directed for Varsho.
Varsho is still, by no means, a real threat with his arm. But if he steadily improves, opposing teams may not be so aggressive. If it results in a few more stop signs at third, it’ll save the Jays some runs. Varsho hopes to be back to full throwing power by August but said it could take into next year. For now, he’s happy with the progress.
“It’s nice to have that confidence now,” Varsho said. “That I can let it go and it’s going to carry, instead of throwing and it’s coming out like a duck fart.”
The key to Cease pitching deeper
As Dylan Cease walked off the mound in Wednesday’s fifth inning, the right-hander started circling his finger. He kept motioning to the Blue Jays’ dugout from the foul line to the front step. The message was clear.
“He was just like, ‘I’m good. I’m good to keep going. I’ve got one more in me,” Schneider said.
An inning later, after three more outs, Cease bounced off the mound, pumping his fist in celebration of the additional inning. On 106 pitches, Cease completed six innings for the first time as a Blue Jay. It was the sort of brilliance the Jays hoped for, signing Cease to a seven-year, partially deferred $210 million deal this winter.
Dylan Cease completed six innings for the first time as a Blue Jay on Wednesday. (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
Cease has been an effective and durable MLB starter for nearly a decade. He has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting twice and received MVP votes. But, in signing Cease, the Jays clearly think there’s more for him to achieve.
Ross Atkins, at Cease’s introductory news conference during the 2025 Winter Meetings, spoke of the righty’s “incredible trajectory.” Unlocking Cease’s ceiling was one of Toronto’s core selling points to Cease, the righty said, and a reason he signed with the Jays. Pitching deep in games is part of that upside.
Cease completed six innings in just 11 of his 32 starts with the San Diego Padres last year. The Jays aren’t aiming to turn him into some efficient contact pitcher who gets through eight innings on 94 pitches. He struck out more batters than any pitcher in baseball over the last few years and walks plenty, too. That eats up a lot of pitches. But, if Cease can mix in his sinker and changeup more and challenge hitters in early counts, Schneider said, that’s the difference between four-inning outings and quality starts.
“It’s just more strikes, honestly,” Cease said. “I still need to do a better job of that.”
Over 40 percent of Cease’s pitches Wednesday were balls, and he still walked three batters. It was by no means a master class in efficiency. But he used his sinker and changeup to earn two quick groundballs in the early innings, buying him just enough pitches to go that extra frame. He had one more in him, and that’s all the Jays are hoping for.
“It puts everyone else in line, really,” Schneider said.
Yesavage’s return is on the horizon
Four Blue Jays pitchers went down ahead of or during spring training. The first reinforcement may soon return. After 4 1/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, Trey Yesavage could return to the Jays next week.
Yesavage, recovering from shoulder impingement, threw 71 pitches in his third rehab start. The 22-year-old’s velocity, averaging 93.3 mph with his fastball, was slightly down from his 2025 outings, and the fastball command was spotty, at times. But the outing, Schneider said, was everything the Jays expected from a workload and velocity perspective.
All 5 of Yesavage’s strikeouts in one place 😌 pic.twitter.com/2bbgkCVLSR
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) April 15, 2026
The righty could push up to 85-90 pitches in his next start, which should allow him to rejoin the Jays in Anaheim next week if the team decides to promote him. On Thursday, Schneider said he had yet to talk with Yesavage and determine if the call-up will come.
“Still don’t know where the next one’s going to be,” Schneider said. “Will probably figure that out in the next couple days.”
With Patrick Corbin delivering 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball Thursday, the Jays could keep the new lefty in the rotation and delay Yesavage’s return another week. They could also move Eric Lauer or Corbin, who Schneider called versatile, to the bullpen. Max Scherzer, who has been pitching through forearm tendinitis, could also hit the injured list.
“Whenever Trey does get back here,” Schneider said, “and José (Berríos), you kind of just look at what everyone’s doing really, and then how you can kind of field the best 13.”
Either way, pitching help is almost here. The Jays hope offensive help will follow.
Behind the yelling with Brewers’ Megill
In the final innings of Thursday’s series finale, Brewers reliever Trevor Megill stormed off the Milwaukee mound after a clean eighth. He turned back to the Jays’ dugout, yelling and holding his hand up as if to mimic chirping from Toronto’s bench. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who was in the on-deck circle set to hit next, stepped forward, raising his hand to usher Megill back to his own dugout.
Trevor Megill was barking at the Blue Jays dugout and started chirping back and forth with Vladdy pic.twitter.com/BNG6HGpKaL
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 16, 2026
The incident didn’t escalate into a bench-clearing incident, and no drama transpired in the final inning. After the game, Megill told reporters, including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the jawing stemmed from Toronto’s dugout yelling as Megill rubbed balls on his pants during the outing.
“Somebody on their bench,” Megill said, “I think it was Schneider on their bench, was complaining about it. I looked at him and said, ‘I promise, I don’t have anything on there.’ Immediately got f— yous from their bench. So, yeah.”
Schneider said his anger stemmed from Megill yelling at Toronto’s bench after the inning, taking exception to a specific word. But, Schneider said, both the struggling Brewers reliever and the struggling Blue Jays have more pressing issues than an eighth-inning tiff against an interleague opponent.