Blue Jays fall victim to second no-hitter in as many years

The Blue Jays start off their three-game series against the Houston Astros in memorable fashion. They were no-hit by right-handed pitcher Ronel Blanco in a 10-0 loss. Aside from a pair of walks for George Springer throughout the game, the Jays couldn't muster anything together, being no hit for the 8th time in franchise history.

There is a lot to unpack with this game. Firstly, the Jays didn't really come close to hitting anything well today, as Blanco and the Astros completely had their number. The hardest hit ball was a 100.7 mph groundout by catcher Alejandro Kirk. After that, the bad gets worse. The Blue Jays only had three other batted balls at 90mph or higher. They struck out seven times, and had an xBA of just .112, meaning the quality of contact was simply not there all game.

This was naturally a phenomenal feat for Blanco, as this was just his 8th career start in the major leagues. He was mixing his pitches beautifully, keeping the changeup low, and the fastball high. He now joins teammate Justin Verlander in Astros that have no hit the Blue Jays. In addition to his brilliant night at the ballpark, Blanco had just became a father 5 days ago, capping off a wonderful week for the 30-year-old.

What could have been done to avoid this result? It could be a simple lack of approach by the Jays, who couldn't adjust to anything Blanco was throwing all game. Last season, whenever the Jays would fall into a early deficit, it would often reflect on the offense as well as the at bats would become worse, making it harder to dig out of the hole. In the early going, this new Jays squad is struggling with the same problem.

It could also be a sign that the Blue Jays offense wasn't improved to the degree it needed to be. The Jays finished 14th in runs scored last year, and appeared to be on the precipice of acquiring either Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto in the offseason. After neither player ended up joining the Jays, the plan shifted drastically, and in short, the acquisitions of Justin Turner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa just may not be enough for a team that needed to get more offensively powerful.

This is obviously a very poor look for the Jays, after the criticism they had faced all off-season. No one really had the answer right now. Blue Jays manager John Schneider when asked about the no-hit performance said, "It's just one of those nights." It's most certainly a night the Blue Jays will be looking to forget as the season goes on.