Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios pitches in the first inning of his team’s series finale against the visiting Texas Rangers on Sunday in Toronto.Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press
Well, that one was a stinker.
Due to a poor start by José Berrios and scant little help from the bullpen, the Blue Jays were pounded 10-4 by the Texas Rangers on Sunday at Rogers Centre.
Berrios faced 21 batters in four-plus innings and allowed 11 to reach base. He was tagged for a season-high six runs on 10 hits, plunked one and actually benefitted from outs on three baserunning errors.
So it could have been worse.
“He gave up a lot of two-strike hits, had a lack of command on his breaking ball and missed with his fastball,” John Schneider, Toronto’s manager, said. “It seems like if something goes wrong it snowballs on him.”
Berrios surrendered home runs to Marcus Semien and Corey Seager before he was pulled with one out in the fifth and the Blue Jays behind 6-1.
By then boredom overtook the sellout crowd; a left-to-right wave began in the bottom of the frame.
“There have been ups and downs for him and a lot of guys,” Schneider said. “I’m sure he is frustrated today.”
Toronto used six pitchers in the lopsided loss and as a group they didn’t do much to stem the tide. Braydon Fisher allowed a two-run homer to Wyatt Langford in the sixth and Louis Varland gave up a two-run shot to Evan Carter in the ninth.
Overall the half-dozen pitchers were raked for 15 hits, 10 earned runs, walked four Rangers and hit one. Combined they threw 177 pitches.
The Blue Jays flew to Pittsburgh afterwards to play three games against the Pirates beginning Monday. From there they travel to Miami for a three-game weekend series versus the Marlins.
It is likely that Shane Bieber will make his debut for Toronto on Friday. The former Cy Young Award-winner threw seven shutout innings in his most recent rehab assignment for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Friday.
The right-hander is on the mend from elbow reconstruction surgery and has not pitched in the big leagues in 16 months.
Toronto’s scheduled starters in Pittsburgh are Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt. If Bieber returns and throws anywhere near as well as he has in the past it will be interesting to see how Schneider will juggle his starting rotation.
It could be that lefty Eric Lauer, who improved to 8-2 in a 14-2 win over the Rangers on Saturday, could challenge Berrios for the role of fifth starter.
Toronto did not have much luck against Nathan Eovaldi, who won his seventh straight game. Eovaldi gave up home runs to Alejandro Kirk and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but scattered five hits and struck out six.
The Blue Jays remain on top of the American League East, five games ahead of Boston and 5.5 ahead of the New York Yankees.
The reliables – Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Kirk – combined for five of Toronto’s seven hits. The others were by Myles Straw and George Springer, who hit a 434-foot blast to left field in the eighth inning off of left-handed side-armer Hoby Milner.
The Blue Jays staged a mini rally in the eighth when they cut the deficit to 8-4 but could get no closer. They had two runners on base with two outs but then Kirk popped out to first in foul territory off Shawn Armstrong, who retired the last four batters and earned a save.
“We didn’t get the big hit today,” Schneider said.
The pitching wasn’t very good either. All in all a stinker.