Travis homers, bullpen falters as Jays lose to Red Sox

Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5

The youngsters out of the bullpen struggled again in this one and blew another late lead in another tough loss. Roberto Osuna allowed the tying run to score in the eighth inning and could have been worse if not for a pair of great defensive plays from Dalton Pompey on a sinking line drive off the bat of Hanley Ramirez and a leaping catch from Josh Donaldson who made several beautiful plays for the Jays.

Miguel Castro came in for the ninth, struck out Brock Holt to lead off the inning, then allowed back-to-back singles before a wild pitch that got away from Russell Martin allowed them to move up to second and third. With the infield and outfield drawn in, Mookie Betts singled to score the winning run.

Both Osuna and Castro's struggles came when they had trouble throwing strikes. This is really what has caused most of the pitching issues for the Blue Jays this season - not just for Castro or Osuna but for every Jays pitcher. We knew that there would be growing pains with the Jays youngsters, and that appears to be where we are now, although the bigger problem might be that John Gibbons doesn't have anyone else I would have rather seen in those two situations.

Aaron Sanchez had an up and down start for the Blue Jays, after a tough first inning. He allowed two runs in the first and had the bullpen up and working but recovered to go 5.2 innings, allowing five hits, four runs (three earned) and two walks (none after the first two hitters) while striking out seven. Aaron Loup then came in and pitched a perfect 1.1 innings before Osuna came in for the eighth.

This was ultimate good-Sanchez after the first inning. It is why he is a top prospect and why he is in the rotation. The problem is avoiding innings like his first.

Ultimately, the Blue Jays had 3-0 and 5-2 leads but couldn't hold them. It is frustrating, but hopefully in a long season, there will be some improvements and things will even out.

Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista both returned to the lineup after sitting out games with injuries. Devon Travis keeps saying he's not a home run hitter, but he's sure fooling us. Michael Saunders continues to get at bats against Major League pitching and getting up to speed but is looking for his first hit as a Blue Jay.

The Lineup

Jose Reyes: 1/4, 2 Ks, SB, Run
Devon Travis: 2/4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 Runs
Josh Donaldson: 0/3, 2 Ks, BB, Run
Jose Bautista: 0/3, 2 Ks, BB
Edwin Encarnacion: 0/4, K
Russell Martin: 1/3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K, Run
Michael Saunders: 0/3, 2 Ks, BB
Kevin Pillar: 2/4, 2B, RBI, 2 Ks
Dalton Pompey: 0/4, K

Jays of the Day: Travis (.116) and Martin (.155) led the offence. However, I'm tempted to dock Martin for not blocking a couple of pitches in the eighth and ninth innings that allowed base runners to move up, including the winning run which took away a potential double play. Aaron Loup (.125) had his best outing of the season. Pillar (.070) was also good again.

Jays Suckage: Osuna (-.205) and Castro (-.367) take the cake for not holding the Red Sox late. Pompey (-.082) was close, but his catch saves him. Encarnacion (-.098) had three runners left on base in his 0/4 day.

Up Next: The Blue Jays look to bounce back again tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. when Drew Hutchison will face Clay Buchholz.