BALTIMORE – The Toronto Blue Jays could point to plenty of silver linings Saturday. There was the return of Russell Martin, yet another Devon Travis double and a go-ahead three-run home run from Jose Bautista.
But if you’re pointing to silver linings, you probably didn’t win, and the 18-26 Blue Jays need wins more than anything else these days. Another dramatic home run by Welington Castillo assured the Baltimore Orioles of their second consecutive win, this time by a 7-5 score, at Camden Yards Saturday night.
“Tough game to lose, especially after coming back,” Martin said. “Momentum can shift super-quick in this game.
“I believe we can be better.”
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The Blue Jays fell behind early, as Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman out-pitched Mike Bolsinger. Given that three of their top starters are on the disabled list, Bolsinger’s job description these days is to keep the Blue Jays in the game. On a basic level, he accomplished that much, allowing four earned runs in 5.1 innings to keep the game within reach.
“He had good stuff,” Martin said. “They’ve got a tough lineup on the other side. You’ve got to give credit to them. We didn’t make too many mistakes, and when we did make them they made us pay for them.”
At the same time, Bolsinger walked five hitters and allowed home runs to Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo. In that sense, he looked the part of a stop-gap starter, though it was Danny Barnes who allowed the decisive three-run homer to Castillo in the seventh inning.
“I know I walked a few people, but I felt like I was figuring it out today,” Bolsinger said.
Earlier in the seventh inning, Bautista hit an equally dramatic home run. First and foremost, it gave the Blue Jays the lead. Viewed from another perspective, the homer was the latest statement in Bautista’s ongoing exchange with an Orioles team that seems not to care for him and the Baltimore fans who boo him at every turn.
Asked if he enjoyed the home run more than usual, Bautista stuck to the script.
“I don’t think about it too much, I just go out there and do my job.”
Most importantly, the home run’s another indication that he’s starting to round into form at the plate.
Bautista picked up two singles to go along with the home run, and has now reached base in 12 of his last 18 plate appearances. His once-dismal batting line now looks respectable as a result; he’s hitting .231/.352/.412 with seven home runs.
“I’m just making adjustments,” Bautista said. “Not missing your pitch when you get it. Those are some of the things that come and go in 162.”
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Bautista wasn’t the only one driving the Blue Jays’ offence thanks to Justin Smoak, Travis and Kevin Pillar. Smoak hit his 10th home run of the season, and Travis built on some already impressive May numbers with a single and his 14th double of the month.
Pillar, back from his two-game suspension, singled to lead off the game and scored on a Kendrys Morales double-play ball to give the Blue Jays an early lead. The centre-fielder would later single and steal a base from his now-customary spot atop the batting order.
Still, it’s tough to keep pace with the Orioles, who have a much deeper lineup than the Blue Jays right now. Machado’s the best player on the field most days the Orioles play, and it showed Saturday. In the third inning, he crushed one deep into the left field seats to give the Orioles a 2-1 lead.
The following inning, the 24-year-old showed that his defensive skills are as impressive as his bat. With a runner on first and one out, Martin lined a ball toward Machado. Most third basemen are lucky to get one out on a play like that, but Machado had the quickness, arm strength and awareness to throw to second and start a spectacular 5-4-3 double play.
All told, the Blue Jays were outplayed Saturday. The Orioles have the deeper lineup right now, and until the Blue Jays get star players like Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki back, that’s not about to change.
“We wish we would have had, and continue to have better luck in the health department,” Bautista said. “But winning teams find a way to persevere and come through and get the necessary wins no matter what. Hopefully we do that and at the end we’re going to be in the race hopefully.”