Reigning AL champion Blue Jays eliminated from playoff race

The Toronto Blue Jays won't return to the postseason after falling just short of winning the World Series last year.

Toronto was officially eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday with a 4-2 loss in the first game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles.

Starter Max Scherzer allowed four earned runs and struck out seven over five innings. Pete Alonso hit a two-run home run off Scherzer in the fifth for the slugger's third round-tripper of the series.

Former Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt shut down his old team, allowing two earned runs over five frames. Bassitt also earned a win against Toronto on Sept. 11.

The Blue Jays outhit the Orioles 10-5 in Wednesday's opener but were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Although Toronto was in control of the final AL wild-card spot after defeating the Kansas City Royals on Sept. 5, the team lost 10 of its next 15 games, squandering a chance to return to the postseason.

The reigning American League champions appeared poised for another strong campaign following the offseason signings of All-Star Game starter Dylan Cease, Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, and shutdown reliever Tyler Rogers.

First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struggled throughout the year, putting together one of the worst seasons of his career, while Toronto also dealt with several injuries to key pieces in its rotation.

"I think there's missed opportunities from everyone: myself, the staff, everyone. It's not one person that's not here, it's not one person that's still here. It's been some unfortunate breaks, some unfortunate injuries, but at the end of the day, we didn't play as well as we were capable of playing," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after the loss.

"It's frustrating to get to this point. I think all of us, you take accountability for it, you look yourself in the mirror ... and you say, 'How can we change this going forward?'"

The 77-81 Blue Jays have four games remaining. They need to win all four to avoid their second losing season in the last three years.