Baltimore Orioles bury the Blue Jays in a barrage of hits and homers
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The Blue Jays entered baseball’s all-star break on a two-game losing streak.
And now for the first time since the break, they have lost two in a row.
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Baltimore Orioles bury the Blue Jays in a barrage of hits and homers Back to video
All is not lost for a team that has won far more often than not, but on nights when pitching falters the Jays, like every other team, will founder.
The latest example was provided Monday night when the host Baltimore Orioles broke open a 3-3 game by using the long-ball to shred Toronto’s pitching en route to an 11-4 win.
The Orioles pounded out 16 hits with four going yard.
A playoff team last season, the 48-58 O’s are in sell mode this year as they play out the string to a highly disappointing season, while the first-place Jays must add if they want to be considered serious contenders when games really matter.
The Jays haven’t played clean baseball in two straight games, two games in which they have been blown out, beginning with Sunday’s 10-4 loss in Detroit when they scored four meaningless runs in the ninth inning.
The following are three takeaways on a night when everyone in attendance held its breath after George Springer was hit on the left side of his face with a one-out fastball in the ninth inning, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 15th home run of the season and the Jays held on to their 5.5-game lead in the AL East with Yankees loss to the visiting Tampa Ba Rays.
1. Bassitt doesn’t have it
This was one of those outings in which veteran starter Chris Bassitt was out of sync.
Bad starts are one thing, but they become problematic knowing four games will be played in three days. In other words, it puts undue stress on the bullpen.
The Jays right-hander has been solid all season, but could provide his team with seven outs on this night. Ouch!
When Bassitt was given the hook with one on and one out in the home half of the third inning, the Jays were already trailing 6-3.
His 2.1-inning outing was his second-shortest of the season. On June 26 at Fenway Park, Bassitt walked four, gave up eight hits and eight earned runs in 2.0 innings.
Bassitt’s 69-pitch outing in Baltimore was marred by six earned runs from seven hits, including two homers.
His earlier-than-usual exit — he’d pitched into the sixth inning in his previous six starts — meant the Jays had to parade five relievers to the hill, not ideal considering a Tuesday double-header awaits.
Pitchers Lazaro Estrada, Easton Lucas and Paxton Schultz are all with the club in Baltimore. None was active for the series opener but could start Tuesday’s first game. Eric Lauer was scheduled to start the nightcap.
2. Bo makes history
The way Bo Bichette is seeing the ball lately, it seems as if no pitcher is capable of retiring him.
After going 5-for-5 in Sunday’s loss in Detroit, the Jays shortstop continued his torrid streak with hits in his first four place appearances against Orioles pitching — the nine consecutive hits establishing a club record.
Bichette singled to left off starter Zach Eflin in the second and third innings, then tied the record in the fifth with a bloop single that went off the end of his bat.
He wasted no time getting hit No. 9 in a row in the seventh when his first pitch against reliever Colin Selby was ruled a hit.
The streak ended in the ninth inning when he hit into a double play to end the game.
The 9-for-10 raised his July batting average to .388. Unfortunately for the Jays, it was wasted in a pair of losses.
Bichette is hitting .295 for the season while his 65 RBIs rank sixth in the American League.
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3. Has Lukes made Varsho expendable?
The Blue Jays, who would like to add at least two arms to the bullpen, a starter and another impact bat before Thursday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.
In the meantime, centre fielder Daulton Varsho has a few more games scheduled in triple-A as he makes his way back from a hamstring injury. However, the way Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw have fared in his absence almost makes the Gold Glove veteran an afterthought.
Lukes hit leadoff in the series opener and went yard in the third inning for his eighth homer of the season and third in his past five games.
He was denied a multi-homer game when Cedric Mullins soared over the wall in straight-away centre to rob him and prevent the Jays from tying the game in the fourth inning.
Opportunities such as the one the Jays have been presented and created this season don’t come around often and no one, save for Guerrero, should be exempt from any trade discussion, including Varsho.
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Up next
The frenetic slate at stifling hot Oriole Park at Camden Yards continues with Tuesday’s 12:35 p.m. first pitch followed by first pitch at 6:35 p.m. to complete the day’s double dip … A DH day for Vladdy is a certainty for one of the two games.
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