The Toronto Blue Jays hosted the NL East division leaders, the Philadelphia Phillies for the first of two games at home. The Blue Jays, just like their last game against the Minnesota Twins, collapsed in the back end to blow another lead and ultimately another game.
Chris Bassitt (9-13, 4.27) took the bump for the Blue Jays, while Tyler Phillips (4-1, 5.00) got the ball for the Phillies. Bassitt tossed 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on 10 hits, walking two and punching out seven. Phillips had a bit of a rougher evening, lasting just 2/3 of an inning, allowing six runs on eight hits, walking none and striking out one. Both pitchers left the game with no-decisions.
The Phillies struck first as Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a solo homer to give his squad an early 1-0 lead.
The Blue Jays, however, would strike right back, scoring six in the bottom half of the 1st. A two-run homer from Daulton Varsho would give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. Will Wagner would ground out to drive in the third run of the inning. Alejandro Kirk would drive in a fourth run with an RBI single. Then Addison Barger would follow up with a two-run homer of his own, extending the Toronto lead to 6-1.
The Phillies would score more in the top of the 3rd. Nick Castellanos drove in a run on a fielder’s choice to make it 6-2. Then an RBI double from Bryson Stott cut the Toronto lead in half, making it 6-3.
Schwarber would hit his second homer of the game when he hit a solo shot in the 4th to make it 6-4.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his amazing year with a two-run shot in the 6th to extend the Blue Jays’ lead to 8-4.
The Phillies would then start to chip away, scoring three runs in the top of the 7th. A bases-loaded walk from Edmundo Sosa and a fielder’s choice from Kody Clemens made it 8-6. An RBI single from Schwarber then cut the Blue Jays’ lead to 8-7.
Heading into the top of the 9th, Blue Jays closer Chad Green (4-4, 2.17) entered the game, looking for his 17th save of the year. Unfortunately for him and the Blue Jays, quite the opposite would take place. The Phillies threatened with two on and nobody out when Schwarber stepped up to the plate looking for his fourth hit of the game. He would get his fourth hit and his third homer of the game, a go-ahead three-run shot to put the Phillies ahead 10-8. The blown save was just Green’s second of the year, but it was the second in his last two appearances.
A solo homer from Leo Jimenez would make it 10-9 and give the Blue Jays some life in the bottom of the 9th. Unfortunately for the boys in blue, it was not enough, as they dropped their first of two games to the Phillies by a final score of 10-9.
The red-hot Bowden Francis (8-3, 3.66) will take the ball for the Blue Jays and Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.49) will do so for the Phillies. The Blue Jays will look to split the series and avoid a sweep on Wednesday afternoon.
