Most nights a team hits five home runs it wins. But despite getting two home runs from Josh Donaldson, two homers from Russell Martin and a bomb from Devon Travis, the Toronto Blue Jays struggled on the mound and lost 8-7 in front of 21,397 at Rogers Centre Friday.
Home runs off of Brett Cecil by Jonny Gomes and Freddie Freeman put the Braves ahead for good, but the missed opportunities started early for the Blue Jays.
The trouble began when starter Drew Hutchison battled command issues early and never really found a comfortable rhythm. The 24-year-old lasted just 4.2 innings while allowing seven hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts.
“You want to go deep in the game and our offence scored seven runs tonight. To not win that game is embarrassing to be honest,” Hutchison said.
Though his command eluded him in the first inning, he felt it improved as the game progressed. Still, the Blue Jays expect him to build on the success he enjoyed in 2014, and that hasn’t happened yet; he has lasted five innings in only one of his three starts this year.
“He had an aggressive mindset, just wasn’t really commanding the ball like he wanted to out there,” Martin said.
Hutchison’s not the kind of pitcher who’s going to flat-out dominate, so he needs to hit his spots. That didn’t happen Friday, so he was often behind the count.
“Pitchers when they work ahead they get outs, and it’s the reverse for hitters,” manager John Gibbons said. “When hitters are ahead, they’re much better hitters. That’s the way the game works really for everybody.”
Cecil was also hit hard, allowing three runs, including the homers to Gomes and Freeman, in the fateful eighth inning. The Blue Jays rallied, but it wasn’t enough.
“You feel like you can win those games,” Gibbons said. “Of course we didn’t, but that’s the frustrating part.”
The Blue Jays’ bats had their chances. Toronto’s hitters missed out on several promising opportunities, stranding two runners in the fourth, fifth and seventh innings. They seemed close to breaking through in the eighth, with runners on second and third and one out, but couldn’t tie the Braves.
Martin hit his first home runs as a Blue Jay, snapping an 0-22 streak with a no-doubt 437-foot shot to deep centre field in the second inning. Unfazed by the silent treatment he received from his teammates upon returning to the dugout, he reached back and patted himself on the bat. Then, leading off the eighth inning, he homered again.
“Any time you square the ball up like that it’s going to feel good,” Martin said. “It’s definitely encouraging, but it’s not really satisfying (in a loss).”
Like Martin, Donaldson broke through with his first home runs as a Blue Jay. Though he had shown signs of breaking out offensively, he hadn’t homered with Toronto before Friday. By the fifth inning, he had two home runs: an opposite field shot and an absolute blast that left his bat at 109 mph and cleared the centre field wall.
The home run from Travis stands out for different reasons. The rookie second baseman, who’s leading off while Jose Reyes rests his cracked rib, didn’t arrive in Toronto with much fanfare, let alone a guaranteed job.
But all he’s done since breaking camp with the team is hit, a trend that continued Friday with a home run and a line drive single. And while there’s no chance that he keeps this pace up, maybe it’s time to start believing in Travis a little more.
“He’s strong. It’s pretty impressive. That’s a good sign,” Gibbons said before the game. “I’ve been impressed with everything he’s done.”
Travis wasn’t the only one of Toronto’s young players to impress. Miguel Castro and Roberto Osuna pitched well in relief and Kevin Pillar continued to make an impact on defence, making a diving catch in short left-centre field to rob Freddie Freeman of a hit.
But despite the many positives at the plate, Toronto couldn’t contain a pedestrian Braves lineup. The Blue Jays will win a lot of games thanks to their powerful lineup this year, but home runs won’t get it done unless there’s some pitching to go around, too.
