The Toronto Blue Jays’ 10-game homestand has not started well.
After dropping two of three contests to the visiting Houston Astros, the Blue Jays hope to get back on track Thursday night when they open a four-game home series against the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers are in a similar spot, aiming to improve on their 1-2 start to a 10-game road trip after losing 4-2 to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.
The Blue Jays will have to pick up their game after two discouraging and sloppy losses to the Astros — 9-7 in 11 innings on Tuesday and 3-1 on Wednesday.
Toronto manager John Scheneider said both defeats could have been wins.
“It’s frustrating when you feel like you leave a couple wins on the table against an American League team,” he said. “That’s baseball sometimes, but there’s definitely some areas where you can get a little bit tighter.”
The Blue Jays could not hold a 6-4 lead in the ninth on Tuesday when a catcher’s interference helped the Astros’ rally to tie the game. The Astros won on a three-run homer by Joey Loperfido — formerly of the Blue Jays — in the 11th.
In Toronto’s loss on Wednesday, Houston’s go-ahead run in the eighth scored after Loperfido tripled and scored on a botched pickoff attempt at third.
Schneider said it was the result of miscommunication between pitcher Jeff Hoffman and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto.
Okamoto expected the throw from catcher Alejandro Kirk, the manager said, and Hoffman expected Okamoto to break to third for his throw. Hoffman was charged with an error on the play.
“I think with Kaz not covering, it kind of threw Jeff off a little bit,” Schneider said. “So just miscommunication with Kaz, really.”
Toronto also does not run the bases well. With the Astros leading 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth on Wednesday, Luis Urias was doubled off second base after Houston right fielder Cam Smith’s superb catch at the wall on George Springer’s drive.
“There’s some things to learn from and things to tighten up a little bit in all phases of the game,” Schneider said. “You want to generate some more offense against a starter, and if you don’t, then things have to be a little bit tighter.”
The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-hander Kevin Gausman (4-5, 4.04 ERA) on Thursday. He is 8-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 14 career games (13 starts) against Texas.
Left-hander MacKenzie Gore (4-6, 4.07) is slated to start for Texas. He is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in three career starts against Toronto.
The Rangers and Blue Jays have struggled offensively.
Toronto ranks 23rd in the majors with 328 runs, and Texas is 28th with 319. Texas is 21st in on-base plus slugging percentage at .706, and Toronto is 22nd at .704.
“I think at the end of the day, runs scored matters, and we just haven’t scored enough runs,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “We’ve had a lot of traffic; we have not scored enough runs.”
Injuries to Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford have been a factor, but Langford has helped the Rangers get those numbers up since he returned on June 5.
Seager, batting just .186 for the season, has not played since June 11, sidelined with concussion symptoms after a collision with Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen on a play at the plate that day.
In 18 games back, Langford is batting .306 with six homers and 13 RBIs. He missed 39 games with a right forearm strain.
“I think we’re better than we’ve shown,” Schumaker said. “I think we have at times found different ways to win games. My evaluation, I’d say we haven’t hit our stride yet. I think there’s just been some peaks and valleys so far. I think we’re much better than what we’ve shown so far. I just think we’re going to be — we should be — more consistent as an offense.”
–Field Level Media
