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What was a winnable ball game in the sixth inning turned into a lopsided 7-2 loss. In a matchup of No. 1 seeds from the American and National League, it was the Milwaukee Brewers who came out on top.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Varland’s struggles

When the Jays acquired Varland from the Minnesota Twins at the July 31 trade deadline the plan was to make him one of their primary setup man. That might have to change — at least temporarily — because while the 27-year-old has electric stuff, the results have been extremely poor for a while now. Varland allowed two hits, including a double, to the first two Brewers he faced. That allowed three runs to score, two of which belonged to Little and one to Varland. It was the sixth consecutive outing that Varland allowed at least one run, and his ERA sits at 6.97 in 10 1/3 innings for the Jays.

“We’re kind of pounding our head against the desk because the stuff is there,” manager John Schneider said about Varland’s recent issues. “He’s got 100 m.p.h., he’s got a good curveball. I think it comes down to execution, that’s basically it, getting it in different parts of the zone.

“But his stuff is too good to be what the results are right now. He knows that, we know that and we trust that he will get better.”

Missed opportunity

There aren’t too many chances to score in games started by NL Cy Young candidate Freddy Peralta, but the Jays had one in the third. After Peralta struck out the first two batters, he hit George Springer with a pitch before walking Addison Barger. That put two runners on for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in what was a scoreless game. Guerrero worked the count to 2-and-2 before he swung and missed at a curveball to end the threat. That was the only time the Jays put a runner in scoring position against Peralta, who allowed just one hit while striking out eight.

Down goes Varsho

Centre-fielder Daulton Varsho left in the seventh inning after he was struck by a pitch. Varsho crumpled to the ground after he was hit by a 96.9-m.p.h. fastball from lefty Aaron Ashby. Schneider and a trainer ran onto the field and removed him from the game soon after.

X-rays on Varsho’s right pinky finger were negative, but it was not immediately clear how soon he will recover. It’s another frustrating twist for Varsho, who has already missed three months because of shoulder and hamstring injuries this season.

“We’ll see how he is tomorrow,” Schneider said following Friday night’s loss. “He was pretty sore, obviously, and we’re not going to push it with him. We’re getting all too familiar with getting hit by pitches.”

Surgery for Garcia

Top setup man Yimi Garcia will miss the rest of the season and prepare for surgery to clean up scar tissue near his right elbow. Garcia was initially hurt in late May before returning in early July. He made just one appearance out of the bullpen before was placed on the injured list because of lingering soreness. Friday’s development was at least somewhat expected. Garcia’s rehab had not progressed over the last few weeks.

Jimenez for depth

The Jays signed former top prospect Eloy Jimenez to a minor-league contract on Friday morning. Jimenez was a silver slugger winner for the Chicago White Sox in 2020 before injuries derailed his career. The 28-year-old hit .240 with a well-below-average .626 on-base plus slugging percentage in 98 big-league games last year. Jimenez has spent this entire season in the minors and is likely just insurance in case Davis Schneider gets hurt and the Jays need another righty off the bench.