Dylan Cease Struck Out 12 and the Blue Jays' Bus Disaster Became Their Best Win Yet

The Toronto Blue Jays had a problem on Sunday afternoon in Phoenix: their plane broke down. So they voted to take buses instead, but they made one exception. Dylan Cease got a commercial flight, showed up three hours early, and then made the Angels pay for it.

Cease threw 110 pitches through five innings, struck out 12 batters, and gave up just two runs. That 12-strikeout performance through five frames is the most ever by a Blue Jays starter in that span. Meanwhile, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. kept his hitting streak alive at 11 games with three hits, including a two-run bomb in the second that gave Toronto the lead. The Blue Jays won 5-2.

"Flying was definitely a little bit better," Cease said after the win. "It definitely got me in bed earlier. I probably got an extra couple of hours of sleep compared to the guys and didn't have to sit in an uncomfortable position for a long time."

Guerrero's Quiet Dominance Is Carrying Toronto

Here's what's wild about Guerrero right now: he's crushing it but you barely notice. He hit a 430-foot changeup from Reid Detmers over center field in the third to open a 2-1 lead, but it's just his second home run of the season despite racking up seven extra-base hits among his 29 total hits. His 11-game hitting streak has felt under the radar because the power has been lurking.

"It's like the most nonchalant two-hit games every night," teammate Myles Straw said. Straw himself singled, walked, and scored twice. "He still gets the hits, he drives in the runs and that power is going to come."

Back-to-Back Wins Feel Like a Turning Point

Combined with Sunday's 10-4 demolition of Arizona, these are consecutive wins for Toronto for just the third time all year. The last time? April 8 and 10. The Blue Jays (9-13) have been living in their own nightmare stretch, losing six straight series. But something is clicking at the plate now.

The team has been hammering the importance of better swing decisions all week, especially after opposing pitchers have been painting the edges and pulling them off the zone. It's working. Nathan Lukes came off the bench with an RBI single in the seventh and a run-scoring groundout in the ninth, extending his resurgence since his vertigo issues stabilized Friday.

The bullpen closed it out clean: Braydon Fisher, Louis Varland (with a strikeout of Mike Trout), Tyler Rogers, and Jeff Hoffman (his third save after two rough outings). Toronto gets two more chances to end that series loss streak, starting Tuesday when Patrick Corbin takes on Jack Kochanowicz.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.