The Orioles’ ace was on the mound at Rogers Centre. If the Jays had a fifth starter, they would have put him out.
For the second night in a row, the Blue Jays were no match for the visiting Baltimore Orioles, losing 10-1 in what could have been the season’s largest pitching disparity at Rogers Centre. Corbin Burnes, the National League Cy Young Award winner for 2021, was the Orioles’ ace pitcher. Because they lack a fifth starter, the Jays chose Trevor Richards as their opener.
The job was Alek Manoah’s all winter, but after a disastrous 2023, he was far from a sure certainty. When he was injured in the spring, Bowden Francis was given the start, but the sophomore righty was demoted after only two games. Enter Yariel Rodriguez, who had not pitched since the 2023 World Baseball Classic and had not started a game since 2019. He was injured after four starts, and Manoah returned to make four excellent outings before being injured himself, bringing us to this point.
Richards was perfect for two innings, but threw 40 pitches. Left-hander Génesis Cabrera came out for the third with two tough left-handed hitters coming up, sandwiched around a pair of bottom-of-the-order righties.
Cabrera, who dragged an ugly 1.75 WHIP into the game, retired the righties but hit the first lefty and walked the second, forcing an uncomfortable two-out showdown with Adley Rutschman. But clearly, the Jays were more comfortable with Cabrera against the lefty-mashing switch-hitter than they were with Francis.
Rutschman singled home the game’s first run, after which the call went to Francis, who gave up the first of the two Ryan Mountcastle home runs he would allow to make it 4-0 — and the rout was on.
No fifth starter. A leaky bullpen riddled with injuries and bad performance. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. played third base twice in three games because of a desire for offense. Justin Turner, the prized off-season acquisition, has hit just.113 since May 1. Bo Bichette is 2-for-20 following a 15-game stretch in which he posted a “maybe he’s back” line.930 OPS. The Jays’ only run came in the seventh inning when George Springer homered for the fifth time this season.
