Angels vs. Blue Jays Series Analysis: Key Takeaways from Toronto's Dominance

The Toronto Blue Jays continued to own the Angels, taking 2 out of 3 games and outscoring the Halos 17-8 in the series.

May 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano (59) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays continued to own the Angels, taking 2 out of 3 games and outscoring the Halos 17-8 in the series. Most of that damage was done during the 14- beatdown by the Blue Jays on Saturday night, but it is notable the Jays held the Angels offense to 1 run over the first 2 games.

For the second time in two weeks the Blue Jays took games 1 and 2 while the Angels managed to avoid a sweep while winning the finale.

Jose Soriano is the only thing stopping the Angels from being swept.

For the second time in three week the Angels lost the first two games of the series then had a Soriano gem salvage the final game. Today Jose Soriano was simply outstanding. He went 7.2 innings and allowed a single run on only 5 hits.

Clearly the brightest spot in an otherwise lost season, Jose Soriano is the best reason to watch the Angels right now.

Baseball is a funny game.

On Saturday the Angels had several opportunities to score runs early and perhaps change the direction of the game. Coming into that game Yoan Moncada and Josh Lowe had not been able to hit for a month. Yet they both had 2 hits that day while Zach Neto and Mike Trout turned into strikeout machines.

It was like one of those old movies where characters get swapped into different bodies. For once the bottom of the lineup came through but the stars could not make anything happen.

The Angels bullpen did pretty well.

May 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn (56) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images | David Kirouac-Imagn Images

It is no secret the Angels bullpen is the weakest link on the team. However, the unit threw a lot of innings in this series and performed pretty well. 4 runs given up by Adam Frazier on Saturday skew the overall numbers but should not be counted against the actual pitching staff.

On Friday four relievers combined for 4.2 scoreless innings. Alek Manoah even tossed a zero in his first MLB appearance for the Angels. Today the bullpen went 1.1 scoreless frames to preserve the win.

Even when factoring in the 3 runs Mitch Farris allowed in 3 mop up innings on Saturday, that means the bullpen threw 9 total innings and allowed 3 total runs. That's an ERA of an even 3.00. For perspective, the Padres bullpen leads all of MLB with a 2.76 ERA with the Braves (3.14) and Yankees (3.19) behind them.

Defense is still a major issue.

Saturday's game got away from the Angels when Jo Adell misplayed a fairly routine ball for a big hit. Ultimately those runs will be charged to Jack Kochanowicz but the defense allowed them.

The Angels currently rank 19th in all of baseball in Defensive Runs Saved with 0. In one fewer game the Dodgers have saved 25. The gap is monumental and a big reason why the Angels pitching numbers are where they are.

The biggest culprits can and should be easily replaced. Left field is -5 runs thanks to Josh Lowe and third base is -2 thanks to Moncada. With neither player hitting well or fielding well they should be out of the lineup.

Mike Trout is -3 in center but would be a plus defender in left field. Adell at -1 has not immediate replacement. Having all three outfielders in the negative territory is a clear sign of a defensive nightmare.

There are multiple ways to fix the problem. Oswald Peraza and Vaughn Grissom deserve to play every day. That solves third base. For the outfield, play Bryce Teodosio in center field. He is dynamic with the glove and his offense is actually better than what Lowe is producing. Move Trout to left and have 2 plus defenders on the grass instead of 3 negatives.

Of course, bringing up Nelson Rada is still the best move overall. His offense should beat Teodosio's while his defense is on par. If the Angels are not willing to make that move, then Teodosio in center is the way to go.

Mike Trout in center field seems like it will not change, however. In that case. simply moving Adam Frazier to left field would help on both sides of the ball.

The fact of the matter is the team has several ways to mitigate this problem. The fact they refuse to try any is a sign of mismanagement.