Get the brooms out, well, for the wrong reason at least, as the Toronto Blue Jays lose 7-3 to the Boston Red Sox and get swept for the first time this season.
Toronto arguably could have won two of the three games, but poor pitching and lackluster hitting with runners in scoring position bit the team once again.
Kevin Gausman had been the clear ace of the Toronto Blue Jays since signing a five-year $100 million contract in the 2021 offseason. Between 2022 and 2023, Gausman had an era of 3.25 and placed third in the Cy Young voting for American League starters last year.
However, 2024 is a different story for the Colorado native. Gausman is posting a 4.24 ERA now after giving up four earned runs against the Red Sox. Gausman is tracking to have his highest WHIP as a Blue Jays and give up double the home runs he’s normally allowed.
While a 4.24 ERA is durable for most high offensive teams, the Toronto Blue Jays will likely not break out as a top-10 hitting ball club this season like they normally are.
Facing a 5.00 ERA pitcher in Boston SP Bryan Bello, Toronto managed only three runs across. Even worse, they blew a bases-loaded situation in the third, plating just two runs, one from a double-play situation, where Boston elected to take two outs for one run.
Kevin Kiermaier drove in the first run, hitting a single and breaking a 0-10 hitless streak, as the outfielder has been brutal at the plate this year, with an OPS at .543.
Toronto also had two runners on base in the second, third, and seventh inning, yet they were lucky to score one run, thanks to a wild pitch thrown by Red Sox reliever Justin Slater.
Boston scored three more runs off Toronto’s Ryan Burr, as everything and anything went wrong in this series.
The Blue Jays were outscored by 18-9 in the series, allowing seven runs in two games. While the offence wasn’t shutout and had a little fight, three runs in a game won’t win the average Major League Baseball game.
A hopeful sign is the hitting by the young Blue Jays, as Addison Barger, collected another two hits in the game. Barger has gone 6-14 series and is being called back up. Meanwhile, Spencer Horwitz also had two hits, and Orelvis Martinez could add a much-needed pop once he starts playing in the lineup.
Toronto will face a familiar opponent in the Cleveland Guardians, who will play another three-game series, this time at Progressive Field, starting on Friday. Toronto went 2-1 in the two-team matchup last week and hopes to continue its success against the best team in the American League Central.
