Blue Jays lose another starting pitcher in win over Red Sox

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The news keeps getting worse for the Blue Jays and their beleaguered starting rotation.

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It’s bad enough that the club’s bullpen has been forced to eat up a lot of innings during this onerous stretch that won’t see the Jays having a day off until next Monday.

But now comes word that Jameson Taillon, the right-hander with dual citizen who has represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic, had to leave Monday’s series opener against the visiting Boston Red Sox with right forearm discomfort, dealing yet another blow to the Jays staff that seems to be cursed.

There was no immediate update on Taillon, but a pitcher diagnosed with forearm discomfort is never encouraging for a team, even one that recorded a 2-1 win on Monday.

Taillon was making his first start in Toronto after debuting with the Jays in Houston.

As early as last week, the Jays were keen on running a six-man rotation. As of Monday night, the club has only four healthy arms at their disposal.

When adversity has struck, this team has still found ways to persevere.

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In the ninth, Louis Varland, fresh after blowing his first save of the season in Chicago, was asked to nail it down.

A leadoff double would be yielded followed as a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to third. Then came a strikeout for the inning’s second out before a liner down the right-field line went foul. Varland induced a game-ending groundout to preserve the Jays’ 2-1 win.

As the score would indicate, hits were scarce, but there was drama nonetheless and not the kind that played out over the weekend at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where extra innings became the norm.

The following are three takeaways on a night when Andres Gimenez drove in the Jays’ winning run to increase his RBI streak to a season-high four games, a stretch that has seen Gimenez knock in seven, and a night when Boston scored on a sac fly that would also be turned into an inning-ending double play in the seventh inning, prompting a 14-minute review that still had many confused.

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1. Boos for Guerrero

Fans have shown their displeasure in the past when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has failed to deliver in big moments. He entered Monday having gone homerless at Rogers Centre.

Following a three-game injury absence for hamstring tightness, Guerrero homered for the first time in a month Saturday in a win over the host Phillies.

With runners at first and second in the seventh against Boston, Guerrero hit a pop-up to first in foul territory. A smattering of boos could be heard among the crowd of 42,511.

Earlier, he hit a pop up to second. He went 1-for-4 on the night.

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2. Knee to know basis

In the hours leading up to first pitch, the Jays scratched Kazuma Okamoto from the lineup.

In Philly over the weekend, the club’s leader in homers and RBIs fouled a ball off his knee, resulting in a contusion.

Charles McAdoo started at third base after the club recalled him from triple-A Buffalo, one of a handful of moves the Jays announced.

McAdoo made a nice back-handed catch in foul territory in the fifth inning and then went deep in the home half to record his first dinger at home and second in the majors.

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Another roster move saw right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson recalled, while Lazaro Estrada and Davis Schneider were optioned to the Bisons. Woods Richardson started the fifth and worked around back-to-back two-out singles to earn the win.

In other pitching news, recently acquired Spencer Arrighetti has been diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma in his foot, a condition where skin builds up near a nerve in the foot, creating discomfort. The hope is Arrighetti can pitch through it while it’s being treated.

Trey Yesavage was scheduled to visit a specialist Monday after an MRI on his left knee revealed an injury. The Jays are awaiting word on whether surgery is required, which would end Yesavage’s season.

Meanwhile, utility infielder Luis Urias (quad) is expected to be sidelined a couple of weeks.

3. Pulling their Sox up

When the Red Sox last visited Toronto in late April, the franchise had just sacked manager Alex Cora and purged the coaching staff following a 10-17 star.

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Two days after the stunning news, the BoSox took the three-game series against the Jays.

Chad Tracy replaced Cora and he’s now in consideration for manager of the year honours. How times have changed for the Red Sox as they make their second and final appearance in Toronto.

Entering Monday’s series opener, Boston had authored separate nine-game and 15-game winning streaks since the start of July to sit comfortably in a wild card position. They had not lost three straight games since early June, when they suffered four successive defeats.

A loss Tuesday and the BoSox will match that early June stretch of futility.

Up Next

Dylan Cease is scheduled to make the start for the Jays on Tuesday night (7:07 p.m. first pitch); when he faced the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 25, Cease pitched a complete-game shutout; by no means has the electric right-hander pitched below standards at home, but he has saved his very best when pitching on the road, where he has not allowed a run in 36 consecutive innings; Boston counters with lefty Patrick Sandoval.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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