Blue Jays get spanked by visiting Philadelphia Phillies in a measuring stick game
Article content
In terms of a litmus test, the Jays failed in falling 8-3 to the Phillies.
If there was a bright spot to the lopsided loss, it involved the Jays' bullpen and how it kept the visitors scoreless.
That is until Trea Turner took Erik Swanson deep on a solo blast with two outs in the eighth inning, Turner's second homer on the night and third overall by the visitors.
The following are three takeaways on a night the Phillies blew the game open by scoring seven runs, including six in their first at-bats, through the opening two innings, a night when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended his MLB-best on-base streak to 33 games following a walk in the third inning.
Bruised and broken Bowden
It's back to the drawing board for Bowden Francis, who hasn't picked up a win since his first start of the season way back on March 31 when he faced Washington Nationals.
In his intervening starts, too many home runs have been yielded, few nights when he's pitched deep into games and an overall question when it concerns Francis' exact role and whether he should be in the major leagues at this moment.
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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Following a 6-1 homestand, the Jays took their act on the road and continued their recent surge with a come-from-behind 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis. In a potential wild-card playoff preview, the Jays came back to topple the Twins, 6-4, at Target Field in Minneapolis. Since being swept in Tampa late last month, losing 13-0 in the series finale, the Jays have gone 9-2 in their past 11 games and remain tied for second place in the AL East with the Devil Rays. The team is playing its best baseball of the season, despite missing two big bats, while managing a pitching staff dealing with issues to its starting rotation. 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