The Toronto Blue Jays returned home from a series split in New York to begin a three-game set against a Pittsburgh Pirates team that is no longer an MLB laughingstock. Yet another pitchers' duel emerged, with the Blue Jays' offense again conspicuous by its silence for much of the game.
A Tale of Two Offenses
With Pirates starter Bubba Chandler bringing the heat, occasionally touching triple digits, and Kevin Gausman keeping the visitors at bay, the margins for error were slim. Three errors by the Pirates played right into Toronto's hand, given how shorthanded and generally inept its offense has performed. The lack of offense does put too much of a burden on the Jays' pitching, but they did manage to escape the Bronx by taking the final two games of the first series between the two teams since last fall's ALDS.
The Blue Jays had two hits through seven innings against the Pirates before recording three hits in the eighth, evoking the "better late than never" saying. The three-run inning provided the Jays with much-needed insurance. A Louis Varland wild pitch in the eighth allowed Pittsburgh to score a run, but other than that one errant toss, the flame-throwing reliever showed his mettle as a closer. Varland induced a game-ending groundout as the Jays took the series opener, 6-2.
Three Takeaways from City Connect Friday
On a night when the Jays were held to two hits until Ernie Clement stroked a double to lead off the home half of the eighth inning, the announced crowd of 39,839 cheered, believing it was a homer. For reasons that defy logic, the same fans booed when replay clearly deemed the ball hit near the top of the wall, then cheered again when Clement scored on a Jesus Sanchez double.
The K in Kevin
Gausman recorded a combined 21 strikeouts during his first two starts of the season, a rate no one felt would be sustainable. For most of his ensuing outings, Gausman showed none of the form that made him look like a modern-day version of Nolan Ryan. In his next eight starts, the most strikeouts registered were five. Against the Buccos, Gausman began the night by recording a strikeout. Two hits and one sac fly later, Pittsburgh was leading 1-0. Through five innings, seven strikeouts were in the books, the most since Gausman's second start of the season. He ended the sixth with a strikeout. In the seventh, Gausman gave up back-to-back singles before Pittsburgh hit back-to-back groundouts. Gausman's 6.2-inning outing tied his season high, set last month against Cleveland when the veteran right-hander became the Jays' first starter to pitch into the seventh inning, a feat later matched by Dylan Cease. Gausman earned the win Friday, his fourth of the season, as the Jays won their third game in a row.
Pinango Shows Plenty of Promise
Yohendrick Pinango continues to evolve, making the Jays' decision on his eventual fate difficult. In time, the likes of Addison Barger, who has twice been on the injured list this season, and Nathan Lukes will be back, two incumbents whose roles are established. Injured catcher Alejandro Kirk will be in Toronto this weekend as the countdown to his return from a fractured thumb continues. Once cleared, Kirk, a two-time all-star catcher, will be back, leading to one of Tyler Heineman or Brandon Valenzuela, Friday night's starter, being sent down. What to do with Pinango remains unclear, though it would be hard not to keep him around. Witness the Jays' three-run third inning when he lined a two-RBI double that left the infield in the blink of an eye.
The Horro-witz
His time with the Blue Jays, albeit brief, proved to many that Spencer Horwitz possessed the tool kit to serve as an everyday player, at worst cast as a serviceable bench piece. In 2024, his final season in Toronto, Horwitz hit 12 homers. He was traded to Cleveland in the deal that landed Andres Gimenez, and quickly shipped to Pittsburgh. Horwitz made his return to Toronto Friday night, though not many noticed given how little, to no reaction, he received. How soon they forget. Horwitz's sac fly led to the game's first run in the top of the first inning. His throwing error helped the Blue Jays eventually score three runs in the third inning.
Up Next
Fans in Toronto will get their first live look at Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh's scheduled starter Saturday (3:07 p.m. first pitch), as the highly touted right-hander makes his debut at Rogers Centre. Perhaps it's bad news or perhaps it's good news for the Jays, but they will face Skenes after he gave up five earned runs, which tied a season high, in a 6-0 loss to Philadelphia in his last outing. He surrendered five runs in his first start of the season before yielding a combined six runs in the ensuing eight starts. The Jays will counter with veteran lefty Patrick Corbin, who is scheduled to make his ninth start of the season. He has dropped his past three decisions, a span that saw Corbin give up 20 hits in 13.2 innings.
