TORONTO — There was an unmistakable buzz at Rogers Centre on Friday afternoon. The Toronto Blue Jays returned home following an eight-game road trip with a few new faces in the fold, and many of them could be seen adjusting to their new surroundings.
Reliever Louis Varland sat in the dugout answering questions from the media while first baseman Ty France was taking ground balls alongside new teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. A short while later, right-hander Shane Bieber was throwing a bullpen session in front of pitching coach Pete Walker.
“To come to a team with so much momentum right now is exciting, it's invigorating,” Bieber said.
The Blue Jays will have to wait a little longer to see the former Cy Young winner — acquired from the Cleveland Guardians for pitching prospect Khal Stephen — on a major-league mound as he’s slated for a rehab outing on Sunday in Buffalo. However, his arrival certainly underscored the feeling around the club right now.
The 41,492 in attendance for Friday night's game against the Kansas City Royals contributed to the buzz in the building, cheering loudly from the first pitch. Unfortunately for them and the home team, though, all this energy didn’t translate to a victory.
The Royals launched two pivotal home runs off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman while mound counterpart Michael Wacha twirled a gem en route to Kansas City’s 9-3 win in the opener of a three-game set. The loss marked the Blue Jays’ fifth in their last six games and dropped their record to 64-47.
The Blue Jays opened the scoring in the first inning when Guerrero Jr. launched a 1-1 sinker from Wacha into the second deck in left field. The solo shot, Guerrero Jr.’s 16th homer of the season, represented the only real damage against Wacha.
The veteran right-hander was in total control and kept Blue Jays hitters off balance with his six pitches. He allowed just three hits while walking none and striking out five over his eight innings in what was his longest outing of the season.
“He pitched his game and kept us in between,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “There were lot of quick outs. He's a guy you really got to concentrate on one area or one pitch. And, he located well.”
The Blue Jays’ lineup was without George Springer, who was placed on the seven-day injured list Friday afternoon due to concussion symptoms. The outfielder is “feeling better every single day, but just didn't quite check every single box,” said Schneider.
Catcher Alejandro Kirk, also on the concussion list, collected one hit in three at-bats while catching seven innings for the triple-A Bisons on Friday and could rejoin the big-league club Sunday. Centre-fielder Daulton Varsho, out since May 31 with a left hamstring injury, returned to the Blue Jays’ lineup on Friday and went hitless in three at-bats.
Gausman, meanwhile, wasn’t as effective as Wacha and was left lamenting two pitches that resulted in plenty of damage.
The Royals responded to Guerrero Jr.’s homer in the second when Mikael Garcia singled and was driven home on Mike Yastrzemski’s two-run shot into the right-field bullpen. The homer, on a 2-2 splitter Gausman left in the middle of the zone, came during Yastrzemski’s first plate appearance with the Royals after being dealt to the team from the Giants on Thursday.
Kansas City kept the pressure on in the third frame with more hard contact. No. 9 hitter Kyle Isbel ripped a fastball from Gausman 106.8 m.p.h. off the bat into right field, Jonathan India followed with a double into the right-centre field gap and Bobby Witt Jr. launched an inside splitter into the second deck in left field at 108.2 m.p.h. for a three-run homer.
In total, Gausman allowed five runs on six hits over six innings, walking none and striking out five.
“I felt good physically,” Gausman said. “Just two pitches in big spots with guys on base. You throw that pitch to Bobby Witt, he's probably going to hit a homer a lot. Just need to be better against that guy.”
Of course, on Friday, the Blue Jays’ new additions were just as much part of the story as what happened during the game and, to that end, Gausman said the club wasn’t distracted.
“I don't think so. I think there's kind of more excitement than anything,” said the right-hander. “Just from reading some of those guys’ comments, they all seem like they're really excited to come here. I've been traded to a first-place team and it's hard to get traded, but it also really is exciting when you go [to a team] that’s playing really well."
Varland made his Blue Jays’ debut in the seventh inning, relieving Gausman to contribute a perfect inning. He struck out one, recorded two groundouts and reached 99.3 m.p.h. with his fastball. France, meanwhile, batted sixth in the lineup and went hitless in four at-bats.
Bieber’s debut will come soon and Gausman is looking forward to that day.
“We've all seen what he's capable of doing,” said Gausman, before recalling Bieber’s outing against the Blue Jays on July 24, 2019, at Rogers Centre. “I actually watched one of his starts that he had here — one-hit shutout. He's dominant when he's healthy and it seems like he's getting back to being healthy. So, definitely excited to have him here.
“Anytime you have the chance to bring in a guy who has won a Cy Young,” added Gausman, “You do it.”
