Bowden Francis Continues Dominating, But Blue Jays Fall to Rangers in a Pitchers' Duel

The Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Texas Rangers 2-0 on Wednesday night at Globe Life Field. With the loss, Toronto is now 72-80. They are trying to avoid finishing last in the American League East but remain in the basement for now.

The World Champion Rangers are 73-79 in what is a disappointing follow-up year for them.

Despite the loss, Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis continued to dominate on the mound. The 28-year-old, who has filled in admirably because of injuries this year, went 6.0 innings. He gave up two earned runs on five hits while walking one and striking out six.

He's now 8-5 on the year with a 3.47 ERA.

Because of yet another stellar performance, Francis is now part of some awesome baseball history.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

(Related) Fewest hits allowed in a 9 start span of one season (min. 60 IP):24- Francis (Jul-Sep 2024 despite 5 in tonight's 2-0 #BlueJays loss vs TEX)24- Santana (Jun-Aug 2004)25- Justin Verlander (Apr-May 2019)25- Brandon Woodruff (Apr-May 2021)26- Zac Gallen (Aug-Sep 2022)

Santana won a Cy Young Award, while Verlander is going to be a Hall of Famer, so that's awesome company for Francis to be in.

He's struck out 88 batters in 98.2 innings this season and has a WHIP of 0.93. He's appeared in 26 games.

With Alek Manoah and Ricky Tiedemann both undergoing surgeries and not able to pitch for at least a large portion of the 2025 season, Francis figures to get a long look at a rotation spot next year as well.

Bowden Francis's Stellar Performance

Francis's impressive performance began right from the start. He allowed only one hit through the first four innings. In the fifth inning, the Jays had runners at second and third with none out. The Rangers, however, were able to shut down the Jays' offensive threat, with Francis completing his second straight three-up, three-down inning in the bottom of the fifth. The Rangers had five runners on base through three innings.

The evening’s ice breaker arrived in the sixth inning when Adolis Garcia took Francis deep into left field for a two-run blast with none out. Through six complete innings, Francis threw exactly 100 pitches. While Francis wasn’t dominant, he was better than good and provided his team a chance, which is all a starter can do, whether flirting with a no-hitter or making clutch outs to avoid a big inning.

A Lack of Run Support

One bad pitch marred Francis’ six-inning outing. He got no run support, which stood out as the game’s primary theme. Still, it was Francis’ seventh quality start in succession as he continues to cement his spot in next season’s rotation, if that’s even in question.

A Look at the Blue Jays Lineup

Precisely one day following his long-awaited return to the big leagues, Bo Bichette was a surprising scratch. Per the Blue Jays, Bichette became a victim of a right middle finger contusion. Bichette was in the dugout sporting a splint on the finger, indicating that something a bit more serious is at play. Either way, there was no immediate word other than the pre-game diagnosis.

With Bichette out of Wednesday’s lineup, the Jays moved Davis Schneider up in the order and into Bichette’s No. 2 hole. Schneider entered the second game of the three-game series having gone yard in each of his past three games. He drove in two runs on Tuesday, the same night Bichette went 2-for-5 on two in-field hits with one RBI in Toronto’s 13-8 loss. In his first at-bat Wednesday, Schneider struck out swinging.

Defensively, the Jays had Ernie Clement start at shortstop, one night after Clement handled the hot corner.

The Blue Jays' Bullpen woes

Just about any healthy arm automatically becomes an option for the Blue Jays, who will leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of acquiring competent relief help. For far too long this season, the team’s pen has been a complete liability, due to poor performance or injury-related. The word disaster immediately comes to mind.

The word disaster clearly applied to Luis Frias, who threw 41 pitches Tuesday, but managed to record only two outs. He actually struck out three, but one came on a wild pitch that allowed the hitter to reach base. Not surprisingly, Frias was optioned to triple-A Buffalo. In a corresponding move, the Jays recalled right-hander Dillon Tate.

Tate was taken fourth overall by the Rangers in 2015. He was traded to the Yankees and later played for the Orioles. This past Sunday, Baltimore placed Tate on waivers, prompting the ever-desperate Blue Jays to claim him. He’s 30 years old and at least Tate did show promise with Baltimore until a flexor strain derailed his 2023 season. Tate was active for Wednesday night’s game, though he did pitch the night earlier for the Bisons.

The only reliever required by the Blue Jays on Wednesday was Ryan Yarbrough, who pitched two scoreless and hitless innings, while recording four strikeouts.

The Blue Jays' Future

The Blue Jays' future looks bright, with young talent like Francis emerging and showing promise. The team will need to address their bullpen woes to compete next season, but with Francis's stellar performance, there is reason to be optimistic about the Blue Jays' future.