TORONTO — On Friday the 13th, Toronto Blue Jays star infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr. clearly had the right combination of superstitions, rabbit’s feet and good vibes on his side as he delivered a trio of game-changing defensive plays, one at third base and one at first base, that robbed the Cardinals of runs and set the stage for a gut-wrenching walk-off loss.

The Cardinals failed to get the go-ahead run in from scoring position in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings, and the Blue Jays got a one-out walk-off RBI single by Alejandro Kirk in the bottom of the 11th as they handed the Cardinals a 4-3 loss in the first game of a three-game series at Rogers Centre on Friday night.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the 11th inning with the help of the automatic runner, an intentional walk and a sacrifice bunt where no out was recorded. The Cardinals got an out on a ground ball at rookie second baseman Thomas Saggese, who alertly threw home for the force out. The next batter, Kirk, hit an 0-1 slider from pitcher Ryan Fernandez off the left field wall to end the game.

Saggese’s first home run in the big leagues, a high 374-foot drive to left field off of former Cardinals reliever Genesis Cabrera, tied the score 3-3 in the eighth inning. That gave the Cardinals their first run since they scored two in the top of the first.

Saggese, who registered his first career hit and first RBI in the big leagues on Thursday, added another memorable moment to his list of firsts in the majors with his swing on a 1-2 curveball by Cabrera.

The Cardinals nearly had a go-ahead home run by Paul Goldschmidt in the ninth inning, but his deep fly ball hit the outfield wall a few feet shy of a home run. Instead, the blast went for a double and put Goldschmidt in scoring position.

However, Guerrero, who moved from third base to first base at the start of the ninth inning, made a diving stop on a hot shot on the ground by Nolan Arenado and threw to pitcher Tommy Nance covering first in time to record the third out of the inning.

With the automatic runner on third base and two outs in the 10th inning, Guerrero made a similar diving stop on a ball scolded by pinch-hitter Luken Baker and his throw to first kept the run from scoring.

Siani gets a Rawlings reprieve

Prior to Fridays' game the Cardinals received notice that Rawlings ruled center fielder Michael Siani eligible for the National League center field Gold Glove award by virtue of his total innings played in the outfield this season. That includes his innings in right field and left field.

Siani, who started in center field on Friday night, went on the injured list with a right oblique strain on Aug. 4. He did not rejoin the active roster until Sept. 1. The time missed put Siani on the cusp of not qualifying for the Gold Glove despite having been one of the top defensive center fielders in the majors throughout the season.

Rawlings, which annually presents the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards, specified that Siani is eligible in a release sent to teams on Friday in advance of the voting.

Don’t coast in a foreign county

The Cardinals began the game with four consecutive hits against Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.

Masyn Winn, Alec Burleson, Goldschmidt and Arenado each singled to start the night, and Winn scored the game’s first run when Arenado’s single dropped into center field. The second run scored on a one-out fielder’s choice hit by Saggese.

Arenado stalled between first and second base, unable to judge whether the ball hit to right field by Saggese would be caught in the air. That hesitation allowed Blue Jays right fielder Addison Barger to throw Arenado out at second base. Burleson scored on the play.

The inning ended when Lars Nootbaar popped up to shortstop. With the bases loaded in the first, the Cardinals got a single from Arenado, a strikeout by Brendan Donovan, Saggese’s fielder’s choice and the Nootbaar pop up.

Fedde’s fourth was fraught

Starting pitcher Erick Fedde entered the fourth inning having yielded just two hits, and both had been wiped away by double plays involving Saggese.

In the first inning, Blue Jays leadoff man George Springer singled to start things. Then Saggese drifted back into shallow right field to make a catch on a ball flared into the air by Nathan Lukes. Springer strayed too far from first base, apparently having assumed the ball couldn’t be caught. Saggese doubled off Springer after he made the catch in the outfield.

In the third inning, Barger singled to start that frame. However, Barger was on base for an inning-ending double play turned by Saggese and Winn.

The Blue Jays made Fedde pay when he allowed the first three batters of the fourth inning to reach base on a Springer walk, a Lukes single and an RBI double off the left-field wall by Guerrero. Spencer Horwitz followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the score 2-2.

With two outs following a Will Wagner fly ball to center field, Fedde gave up a go-ahead RBI single to Barger and the Blue Jays took a 3-2 edge.

Missed opportunities haunt Cardinals

The Cardinals' two hits with runners in scoring position in the first inning were their only hits with runners in scoring position through the first seven innings.

They went 2 for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base going into the eighth inning.

In the fourth, they started a two-out rally with singles by Nootbaar and catcher Pedro Pages. But Gausman snagged Siani’s line drive back up the middle for the final out of that frame.

The Cardinals put two men on with one out in the sixth inning thanks to a Donovan single and a Nootbaar walk. Pages grounded out to first base and put both runners in scoring position, but Siani struck out to end that inning.

In the seventh, Winn’s leadoff double put the Cardinals in position to score. He advanced to third on a groundout by Burleson. Then with the infield defense playing in on the grass, Goldschmidt blistered a grounder right at the third baseman, Guerrero. Winn’s lead off of third base had taken him past Guerrero when he fielded the ball and Winn was tagged out for the second out of that inning.

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