Home run troubles continue for Francis as Blue Jays fall short vs. Tigers
With two more homers against in Friday’s loss to the Tigers, the longball continued to be a major concern for Bowden Francis this season.
TORONTO — Bowden Francis left a 3-2 splitter in the middle of the strike zone and, as Zach McKinstry took a healthy cut on the pitch, the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander knew the mistake had cost him. Francis muttered something to himself before swivelling his head to watch the ball sail over the right-field fence.
That was the second solo home run Francis allowed on Friday night in what was a 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers in front of 23,146 at Rogers Centre. However, the outing wasn’t just an anomaly for Francis. Home runs have become a concern for the right-hander so far this season.
Francis has allowed an MLB-leading 14 homers through 46.1 innings this season. Six of those have come off his fastball, five from his splitter and three off his curveball. By contrast, the right-hander surrendered 17 homers over 103.2 innings last season.
“It just comes down to when I get to nibbling [at the strike zone], it puts me in a bad spot,” Francis said. “So, I just got to stay on the attack. I mean, the solo ones, I don’t really look too deep into those. The big ones hurt — fortunately, I haven’t any huge ones. But, obviously, the solo ones add up over time. Super annoying. So, I just gotta get better with execution.”
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The 29-year-old ended the 2024 campaign on an upward trajectory. He seemed to figure himself out on the mound and was a revelation down the stretch, authoring several no-hit bids that left fans drooling at his potential. The hope was that he could carry some of that into ’25, but it just hasn’t happened.
The home runs aren’t the only concern — his hard-hit rate is hovering around the 50 per cent mark, which places him among the worst in baseball. Simply put, Francis has had trouble executing on a consistent basis. He hasn’t made it into the fifth inning in four of his last five starts.
“I feel like it goes back to something mechanically,” said Francis. “Just kind of leaking — puts me in a bad spot with my hand. I just got to be better execution-wise.”
Francis allowed a solo homer to Riley Greene on a first-pitch curveball in the second inning and then McKinstry launched his shot in the fourth. Greene added a double in the fifth frame that plated two runs and pushed Francis’s season ERA to 5.63.
Only three hitters in the Tigers’ starting lineup had faced Francis before Friday, yet it didn’t seem to matter. In total, he allowed four runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings, walking two and striking out six.
“Detroit’s good,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “You look up and a lot of guys have an .800 OPS and they’re going to hit some mistakes. So, I think when you’re in the zone with your breaking ball, whether you’re Bowden or anyone in the big leagues, there’s a chance for damage to happen.
“I think we just look at the sequencing of when he’s using his stuff and try to make some adjustments.”
The Blue Jays cut into the Tigers’ lead with Daulton Varsho’s two-run homer in the sixth inning off right-hander Jack Flaherty. The opposite-field shot was Varsho’s sixth homer in 12 games this season.
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“Three really big homers in the last handful of games,” said Schneider. “That’s good for him and better for us. He’s figuring out who he is a little bit. He’s dangerous every single at-bat.”
Bo Bichette added his own solo shot in the eighth frame, a 109.4-m.p.h. rocket into the second deck in left field, and the Blue Jays put two runners on base in the ninth against Tigers reliever Beau Brieske, but pinch-hitter Ernie Clement grounded back to the pitcher to end the contest.
Schneider gave Anthony Santander the day off Friday, saying before the game that he wanted the struggling outfielder to have a chance to reset. He was asked after the loss about the decision to keep Santander on the bench instead of deploying him as a pinch-hitter and said he wanted to give him a full day off, but also added that Santander was dealing with a “cranky” left shoulder — the same issue that caused him to miss games last week.
“Little bit of both,” said Schneider. “Was checking with him throughout the game and seeing how he was feeling. I just feel like if you’re not 100 per cent, to put you in a big spot when I’m trying to give you a little bit of a blow, it’s kind of a double negative.”
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On the heels of a four-game win streak, the Blue Jays have now dropped three of the last four and sit at 21-23 on the season. Things won’t get easier on Saturday, when the club is expected to run a bullpen game. Schnieder said the club is still finalizing plans for the afternoon contest and hasn’t yet named a starter.
Complicating matters is that Francis’s short outing forced the relievers to cover more than four innings on Friday. Zooming out, it’s becoming clear that operating without a fifth starter is compounding issues on the pitching staff.
The starting rotation, which has had to forego extra days of rest at times, is not performing to its potential and entered Friday having combined for just 1.0 fWAR, which ranks third-last in the majors. In their last turn through the rotation, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Francis have combined to allow 16 runs over 21.1 innings.
“Stay hunting, don’t lose our edge,” Francis replied when asked about the ongoing conversations amongst the starters. “We’re just going through a little patch, but just keep trusting each other. Keep pulling each other. It’s obviously a super-long season, so we’re looking ahead. Just day by day.”
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