Blue Jays revert to offensively-challenged ways in dropping series opener to host Phillies
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The Blue Jays received no affection from the City of Brotherly Love.
Instead, they got a look at the team they used to be when runs were scarce and extra-base hits even scarcer.
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Blue Jays revert to offensively-challenged ways in dropping series opener to host Phillies Back to video
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They have been playing well and how they respond to Friday night’s 8-0 loss to the host Philadelphia Phillies will provide a deeper glimpse into how this team has evolved.
The Jays have not lost two games in a row since that embarrassing three-game sweep in Tampa last month when the visitors scored a combined two runs.
The following are three takeaways on a night Kevin Gausman issued a free pass to lead off the third inning, his fourth walk of the game, as a few borderline calls went against him. Gausman’s season-high for walks in a single game is five.
1. High five
The Blue Jays wrap up their nine-game road trip with this weekend’s series in Philadelphia.
Entering Friday night, the Jays had gone 5-1.
In their five wins, the Jays scored 31 total runs.
While they have feasted on left-handers, Ranger Suarez had the Jays on their heels.
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Suarez was in control, yielding three hits through six innings, which included an infield hit.
Two of those base knocks were to Alejandro Kirk, who is as hot as any hitter.
Through six innings, Suarez struck out six.
A big reason for Toronto’s recent surge has been tied to its offence, helping the Jays improve their record to 38-30 entering Friday.
Good pitching, it’s been said, often beats good hitting.
Suarez validated that saying.
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He gave up his fourth hit when Ernie Clement reached base on a one-out single in the seventh inning.
He allowed the Jays to get their first runner in scoring position following a two-out walk to Davis Schneider, who reached base on a fifth-inning single.
Suarez gave the Phillies seven scoreless innings in his start.
2. Rivalry renewed
The Jays and Phillies will forever be linked to the 1993 World Series, a six-game championship showdown remembered for Joe Carter’s walk-off homer off Mitch Williams in the venue previously known as SkyDome.
A repeat matchup is highly unlikely, but Friday night’s series opener did mark the second time within the past week that the two teams have hooked up.
In Toronto, all eyes were on Jordan Romano when he made his return.
As it turned out, Romano gave up the walk-off hit to Kirk, his former battery mate, in the Jays’ 2-1 win.
In Philadelphia, all the attention was on Jeff Hoffman making his return.
The two closers weren’t traded for each other, but they did trade places in free agency.
Each was given a video tribute.
When the two teams met in Toronto, the Jays took two of three games to earn the series win.
Since they last met, the Jays have risen, while the Phillies have fallen, losers of four of their past six games entering the night.
In Toronto, the series ushered in the return of star first baseman Bryce Harper.
When the Jays opened their series at Citizens Bank Park, Turner was on the injured list (wrist).
3. Heat check
Gausman needed 26 pitches to get out of the first inning, which featured no runs being surrendered, but it was far from routine from a veteran who threw a season-high 104 pitches in his most recent start.
Against the Phillies, his fastball touched 97.4 mph in the first.
Gausman’s trademark splitter was quite effective. Nonetheless, it was a stressful start for the hurler.
In Buffalo, veteran Max Scherzer started for the Triple-A Bisons as the right-hander forges a potential path back to the big leagues.
Scherzer’s time with the Blue Jays encompasses a total of three innings when he made his debut in the opening home series against Baltimore.
In the first inning for the Bisons, Scherzer’s velocity on his heater averaged 93.6 mph.
His velo did drop as Scherzer averaged 91.9 in his 4.1-inning outing.
The Jays now wait to see how Scherzer’s troublesome thumb feels Saturday.
Troublesome pretty much summed up Gausman’s second inning when he allowed four runs, including a three-run homer to Kyle Schwarber.
His first three-up, three-down inning came in the fourth.
Gausman threw 95 pitches in his five-inning outing.
He was clearly outpitched by Suarez and doomed by the four-run second inning.
Up next
Bowden Francis is scheduled to make his 14th start of the season and potentially his last if he isn’t able to show any signs of improvement following a dreadful stretch that would, under normal circumstances, prompt a demotion to the minors; team options are slim and the right-hander finds himself on thin ice; in his past two starts, Francis has pitched a combined 5 innings, yielding 10 earned runs and surrendering four homers; the Phillies will have LHP Cristopher Sanchez (5-2, 3.10 ERA) on the mound for the 4:05 p.m. first pitch.
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