Blue Jays show some life to earn series split with Phillies

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With frustrations building, losses mounting, and standings status fading, the Blue Jays are well aware of the failures of the 2024 season that is rapidly approaching the quarter mark.

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The team reportedly addressed as much in a clubhouse meeting following Tuesday’s non-competitive loss to the Phillies, an airing out following a blowout 10-1 defeat.

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Perhaps more importantly, they addressed it again in a way that matters during a Wednesday matinee at Citizen’s Bank Park where they scored what had to feel like an extra-large 5-3 win to earn a mini-series split against the National League East leaders.

Just a second win in their past seven games doesn’t completely wipe the recent misery from the hard drive, but coming against a good starter in Aaron Nola on a piping-hot Phillies team accounts for something.

As we’ve seen far too often, however, almost nothing comes easily for this team. The Jays just got out of town with the win after closer Jordan Romano surrendered three hits in the ninth which allowed the Phillies to move within two and get the tying run to second with one out.

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The adventurous Romano got out of the jam to save yet another devastating result for a team that can ill afford to toss away many more winnable games.

Viewed in isolation, the Wednesday matinee at least offered some positive takeaways for the Jays in a couple of important areas.

First off, they got a much-needed strong start and win from Chris Bassitt, especially after Jose Berrios was knocked around the night before. The veteran righty went 6.1 innings, holding the Phillies to just one hit and one run until wobbling a little in his last frame.

And finally (or so it felt) that starting effort was backed up by some timely run production from the Jays, who scraped across three on a five-hit sixth to give them just enough offence when it was direly needed.

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Manager John Schneider wasn’t keen to divulge content of the post-game summit on Tuesday but it’s not difficult to surmise that it was fuelled by the frustration of the recent struggles.

Again in isolation, one win doesn’t mean much for a team so mired in its inconsistencies and veered desperately close to letting this one get away. While it may allow the team to breathe on its off-day prior to returning to action on Friday at the Rogers Centre, the team has to be well aware of the mountain still in front of it.

Yes, they improved to 17-20 but, for some perspective, to get to the 89-win mark they accumulated in 2023, the Jays still need to go 72-53.

Beating a good Phillies team to at least temporarily squelch a 3-10 stretch was at least a much-needed step in the right direction.

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BASSITT BRILLANCE

A start after taking a no-hit bid into the sixth (before surrendering three runs), Bassitt was money against one of the stoutest-hitting lineups in the majors.

Allowing just one run and one hit through six innings, the right hander had retired the last 12 Phillies hitters he faced, struck out the side in the fifth and was generally the reliable arm he has been in a Jays uniform.

He opened the door a little in the seventh, allowing a one-out single to Brandon Marsh and a double to Nick Castellanos to end his afternoon. Reliever Zach Pop limited the damage to a sac fly RBI to keep the Jays lead at 4-2.

Bassitt, by the way, has been one of the more vocal Jays players through the struggles, not shy from admitting that the team needs to be much better, starting with himself. He responded with the type off effort leaders need to produce.

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SIGNS OF LIFE

Though the problems have been many with the team, the Jays have been crying out for production from the top of the order. On Wednesday, they finally got some.

George Springer, still hitting leadoff despite his well-documented woes, singled in the third then stole second, allowing Vlad Guerrero Jr. to drive him in for the first run of the game.

Fast forward to the sixth when the inconsistent Guerrero added his third hit of the game, an infield single, to start an important three-run frame. Arguably the biggest hit was a single from woefully slumping Bo Bichette, who drove in just his second run in the past 12 games.

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As anyone who follows the team knows, add-on runs have been too few for the Jays, which made the run produced by the bottom of the order (singles from Davis Schneider single, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Kevin Kiermaier) in the seventh feel so large.

Also of note: The five hits that led to that three-run sixth was the type of output the team has been aching to put together for weeks.

AROUND THE BASES

Following an off -day on Thursday — the third in eight days — the Jays began an abbreviated three-game home stand against the Minnesota Twins on Friday … The win allowed the Jays to even their inter-league record on the season to 7-7 … A stat line the Jays have put up too infrequently: They outhit the Phillies by a 12-7 count, though it wasn’t a powerful display as all runs came via five RBI singles.

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