After turning a no-hit bid into a loss, the host Toronto Blue Jays aim to bounce back Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Right-hander Bowden Francis had his bid for a no-hitter against the visiting New York Mets end on Wednesday when Francisco Lindor socked a leadoff home run in the ninth to tie the score 1-1.
Francis departed and the bullpen allowed five more runs in the inning as Toronto lost the decisive game of the three-game series 6-2.
It was the second time in four starts that Bowden lost a no-hitter with a leadoff homer in the ninth.
“So many things have to go your way,” Toronto manager John Schneider said of trying to throw a no-hitter. “Whether it’s a borderline pitch, a play made behind you, how you’re feeling physically. It has to really line up.”
Dave Stieb threw the only no-hitter in franchise history on Sept. 2, 1990.
The Cardinals (74-72) defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-1 on Thursday afternoon to complete a 3-3 homestand and trim their deficit for the final National League wild card to six games. The Blue Jays (69-78) have only four wins in their past 14 games.
After chirping about being spoilers, they have lost four consecutive series against teams with postseason aspirations.
Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is batting .321 with 28 homers and 94 RBIs, has hit .179 (5-for-28) over the past seven games with no homers, three RBIs and three walks.
In 70 home games this season, he is batting .347 (91-for-262) with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs.
Toronto is scheduled to start right-hander Kevin Gausman (12-11, 4.09 ERA) on Friday. He is 1-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 10 career games (six starts) against St. Louis.
The Cardinals are scheduled to start right-hander Erick Fedde (8-9, 3.39 ERA). He allowed five runs in six innings at Toronto in a 9-3 loss on May 20 when he was with the Chicago White Sox. He is 2-1 with a 4.87 ERA in four career starts against Toronto.
Francis has provided several of the few recent positive developments for the Blue Jays, and he is putting himself into the rotation plans for next season.
Over his past six starts, he is 4-1 with a 1.26 ERA. His 0.40 WHIP is the lowest mark over a six-start span in modern major league history.
“I can do this. I can start in the big leagues,” Francis said after his last outing. “I feel like I’ve always believed that.”
The Cardinals also offered a peek of the future on Thursday. Second baseman Thomas Saggese, 22, had his first two major league hits and his first RBI.
“It felt amazing,” Saggese said. “I was starting to feel a little pressure to get one, but it was really nice to get it out of the way.”
Saggese made his debut on Tuesday and also has shown well in the field.
“It’s been fun watching him play,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “He’s just a gritty player. It was good to see him get that first knock out of the way. … Hopefully he can build off that.”
Brendan Donovan hit a two-run homer as a pinch hitter for St. Louis, and Masyn Winn also homered.
Toronto claimed right-hander Brett de Geus off waivers from the Miami Marlins and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays designated right-hander Yerry Rodriguez for assignment.
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