.webp?#)
Francis keeps rolling, but Blue Jays offence falls short in Mets sweep
Bowden Francis once again demonstrated that he’s right where the Blue Jays need him to be as he held the Mets to a pair of runs over 5.1 innings with six strikeouts in what finished as a Toronto loss.
NEW YORK — Remarkable as Bowden Francis’ second-half dominance last year was — highlighted by a 0.60 WHIP over 65 innings after the all-star break and two no-hit bids carried into the ninth inning — some wonder lingered about his 2025 encore.
As pitching coach Pete Walker put it, “everybody would be dreaming to think he’s going to do that every time out, but first time out (with 5.1 no-hit innings to begin a six-inning, two-run outing against Washington) he does it, so I wouldn’t put anything past him at this point.”
“He’s a very determined, focused individual,” Walker continued. “He knows his game and that’s the biggest thing in the major-leagues. When you figure out your game, you run with it. We don’t have to make adjustments right now. We don’t have to add pitches. We don’t have to do anything except execute pitches and attack hitters.”
Francis once again demonstrated that during a cool and grey Sunday at Citi Field, when he held down the New York Mets — one of the teams he no-hit for eight innings last year — to a pair of runs over 5.1 innings with six strikeouts in what finished as a 2-1 Toronto Blue Jays loss.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371148110112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371148110112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371148110112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-821287" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371148110112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371148110112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/guerrero-jr-snaps-bat-in-frustration-after-game-ending-groundout/" }); });
On a club still finding itself in the early weeks of the season, especially on the pitching side but at the plate, too, Francis’ continued growth is essential.
Max Scherzer’s thumb injury (he had had hoped to resume playing catch Friday but didn’t this weekend) leaves a void in the rotation that, most likely, will be filled by Easton Lucas again Tuesday in Boston. As bullpen roles and workloads continue to be ironed out, the Blue Jays couldn’t afford much, if any, giveback from Francis.
His first two starts of the season alleviated any concerns about that, as he continues to show what Walker called an “understanding of who you are and not trying to do too much. We need to keep him right there.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371147918112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371147918112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6371147918112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-930536" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6371147918112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6371147918112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/what-has-caused-the-blue-jays-early-hitting-struggles/" }); });
Saturday’s late-inning bullpen implosion in a 3-2 loss and a difficult weekend at the plate — when they scored only three runs on 18 hits with 12 walks and didn’t homer — underlined how that’s not the case elsewhere on the club.
Their only run Sunday came when Andrés Giménez was hit by a David Peterson pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, cutting into a 2-0 deficit. Alejandro Kirk promptly popped out against reliever Max Kranick to end that rally. The tying run was stranded at second in the eighth and again in the ninth, when closer Edwin Diaz hit two batters before getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a groundout to close out the win.
