Red Sox vs Blue Jays Game Recap: Francis Struggles, Varsho shines in debut
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The Toronto Blue Jays continue to struggle losing the first game of their home stand 10-2 against the Boston Red Sox.
Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis gave up home runs to Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, Kristian Campbell, Raphael Devers and Wilyer Abreu.
Duran opened the game by homering on an 0-2 fastball from Francis and, later in the frame, Alex Bregman sent an 0-2 splitter into the second deck in left field.
Kristian Campbell lofted an opposite-field homer that just cleared the right-field fence in the second inning, and then, in the third, Rafael Devers launched an 111.1-m.p.h. rocket to the second deck in right.
Wilyer Abreu added an exclamation mark with a three-run shot that put the Red Sox up, 7-0.
Francis went 3 innings, gave up 7 earned runs and 5 homers on 8 hits.
That essentially rendered the game over, given the offensive issues of a Blue Jays club that entered the day second last in MLB with 16 home runs.
Francis's short outing forced the Blue Jays to get multiple innings from relievers Dillon Tate, Mason Fluharty and Casey Lawrence, an outcome that's not exactly ideal given that the club is planning to go with a bullpen game on Wednesday.
Francis surrendered plenty of hard contact and allowed seven runs on eight hits, striking out one and walking none.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. boosted that tally with his two-run homer off Crochet in the third inning, but that was all the offence the home side could muster against the left-hander.
In his first game back with the Toronto Blue Jays, Daulton Varsho embarrassed himself yet also made arguably the catch of the year - all on the same play.
During the fourth inning, Jarren Duran sent a 105.4-m.p.h. missile to centre and Varsho gave chase. He covered 72 feet then tripped at the warning track, tumbling forward. That's where the embarrassment came in, but it only lasted a split second.
Varsho recovered to an upright position, with one knee on the ground and his back facing home plate, and stuck out his glove to complete a miraculous catch. It was a play you'll probably never see again and the 25,045 at Rogers Centre acknowledged that with a rousing applause.
That was the type of injection the Blue Jays hoped Varsho, who'd been sidelined since undergoing surgery on his right rotator cuff last September, would provide to the struggling club.
Unfortunately, though, it didn't impact the result as the Blue Jays fell, 10-2, to the Red Sox in the opener of a three-game set.
With the loss, the Blue Jays fell to 13-16 on the season. The conversation around the club prior to the game centred around Varsho, with manager John Schneider talking about how having his starting centre-fielder back would make the lineup and defence better. He also reflected on Varsho's growth with the club.
"He's a different dude than he was a couple of years ago," Schneider said. "I think everyone really just appreciates him as a teammate. And he's a lot more vocal now. Kind of just puts everyone in a good mood."
The manager cautioned that nobody is expecting Varsho to save the struggling offence.
Instead, "we want him to fit in. When you look up and down, we need the top of our order to get going a little bit and we just need people to do their part. I think Varsh is really good at that. He understands what kind of player he is, what kind of hitter he is."
Varsho, who expressed excitement to finally conclude his long rehab process, echoed that sentiment.
"Just be myself," Varsho responded when asked what he's hoping to bring to the lineup. "Don't try to be too much and just be yourself and go out there and play."
Varsho added that he's learned to understand that there will be good and bad days as he continues to acclimate physically and noted that he checked an important box by diving on a play in centre during his recent stint with the Buffalo Bisons in triple-A.
"It's the trust factor," Varsho said. "Yeah, you're doing it in practice, but it's kind of like at half speed. Being able to do it at game speed was kind of the big (test).
Overcoming that mental hurdle allowed Varsho to fully recapture the physical edge that's endeared him to fans. And on Tuesday, it didn't take long for it to show.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 30 | 53 ANSWERS Red Sox vs Blue Jays Game Recap: Francis Struggles, Varsho shines in debut Was Daulton Varsho's last second snag the catch of the year? | ||
| Yes | 46 | 86.8 % |
| No | 7 | 13.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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