Blue Jays’ road trip that began with promise quickly souring

Article content

See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source

Article content

Patrick Corbin has been so much more than the Jays could have ever hoped.

Article content

Article content

The 36-year-old left-handed veteran was working out in Miami with junior college hitters hoping for another shot after a tough year in Texas last season left him without a job to start the current campaign.

The Blue Jays’ rough injury luck was Corbin’s opportunity, and he has taken full advantage.

But for the first time since his first start in a Jays uniform when he was still not stretched out, Corbin allowed an opponent more than three runs and paid the price with his second loss of the year in a 7-3 loss to the host Atlanta Braves.

Corbin had a very odd night with all the damage done against him after he had the Braves on the ropes.

In the second inning with two down and nobody on, Corbin made the mistake of walking speedster Eli White. White promptly stole second and scored on Ha-Seong Kim’s single.

In the third inning, Corbin again got the first two outs before giving up a single to Matt Olson, a double to Ozzie Albies and a three-run homer to Mauricio Dubon.

Article content

Article content

Those four runs were all Corbin would give up but it was enough as the Braves, who have the best record in MLB, pulled away with a three-run homer by Albies in the seventh inning off reliever Adam Macko.

Corbin, though, regardless of Wednesday’s result, has been a saviour of sorts for the Jays, who have been running on starting pitching fumes since the second week of the season.

Corbin has now made 10 starts, and the Jays have been competitive in every one of them.

With the loss, the Jays have now lost four in a row undoing all the good they managed with four wins in a row that preceded that run.

The Jays will finish up in Atlanta on Thursday with another start that will be handled by the bullpen and then return home for a nine-game home stand beginning with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

JAYS DEAL FOR A PROJECT

The Blue Jays have had some luck in the past taking on a struggling pitcher, putting him in the hands of veteran pitching coach Pete Walker, and finding some success.

Article content

The Blue Jays also happen to be operating with three starting pitchers and some creative bullpen juggling at the moment to get them through the other two spots until a few bodies on the injured list find their way back to active duty.

The combination of those two things makes the addition of former prospect Simeon Woods Richardson, acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, at least worth a shot.

Woods Richardson, who went to the Twins in the Jose Berrios deal, has been struggling mightily this year in Minnesota. He went from a member of the rotation to the Twins hiding him in the bullpen in a long relief role to designating him for assignment when things didn’t improve there.

He brings an 0-7 record and a woeful 7.74 ERA to Toronto, but still is just 25 years old, there is always the chance that Walker can turn the young man’s career around.

QUICK HITS

The return of catcher Alejandro Kirk can’t come soon enough, and that is in no way a comment on rookie Brandon Valenzuela. Valenzuela is learning on the job and is making progress, but trying to replace Kirk’s bat isn’t something any rookie could do, and that includes his monster solo homer in the ninth on Wednesday. Kirk began his rehab stint with class-A Dunedin and typically got off to a fast start with a home run in his first plate appearance. He’ll need more time, but that kind of thump is what the parent club is currently thirsting for right now … George Springer did not play on Wednesday. The Jays designated hitter looked to be struggling with that broken toe that he has been playing through. With Nathan Lukes on the tear he’s on right now – he had two more hits on Wednesday, including his first homer of the year — perhaps the time is right to let Springer heal a little more thoroughly in order to get him back at full strength rather than something part way … Jesus Sanchez returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday. Sanchez had been on a tear before suffering a wrist injury when a young fan threw a ball to an unaware Sanchez in Baltimore. Sanchez missed the final game of the Baltimore series and came on to pinch hit in the first game of the Atlanta series. Sanchez was 0-for-4 on Wednesday in his return to full-time duty.

mganter@postmedia.com

Article content