Despite record, Blue Jays pitchers struggling to keep the ball in the park
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If the Jays are going to make anything meaningful happen down the stretch and beyond, their pitching staff is going to need to find a way to keep the baseball in the ballpark, something the Toronto skipper has publicly acknowledged.
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While Sunday's series-salvaging 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers was an emotional highlight, it was going down an all-too-familiar road early on.
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Of note, that's the fourth worst in the majors and the only three with higher totals — the Rockies (173), Athletics (170) and Orioles (170) are entrenched as last-place teams in their respective divisions.
And yes, that's a concern, bordering on panic (with the fan base, anyway) if the Jays don't get it fixed in time for the important games that await.
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Dodgers hitters were just the latest to take advantage of starters (Chris Bassitt also allowed a pair of homers on Saturday and was chased after 4.2 innings of work). Again, not a crisis as the team and the pitching staff navigate the natural highs and lows of a season, but it will be a point of emphasis for Schneider and his staff to get in check.
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Bassitt and Jose Berrios lead the team with 20 homers allowed each, followed by injury list resident Bowden Francis (19) and then Kevin Gausman (17). Closer Jeff Hoffman has surrendered the most among Jays relievers with 10.
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Berrios led the team in that department in 2025 with 31, followed by Gausman (20) and Bassitt (18).
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The Jays pitching situation will be the topic of a loud narrative for the remainder of the season with so many points, both fair or unfair. The struggles of Hoffman on Sunday — he walked in the tying run in the eighth and couldn't locate the plate in the ninth — will be prominent, as will how the rotation will unfold when Shane Bieber returns to the big leagues at some point in the next week or two.
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Buck Martinez nailed it on the Sportsnet broadcast when he introduced Mason Fluharty's entrance into the game with the bases loaded and back-to-back former MVP's due up.
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