The Toronto Blue Jays will have to dig out of a hole if they want to extend their five-game win streak.
Toronto fell behind 7-0 in the second inning of Tuesday’s contest against the Phillies as starter Bowden Francis struggled with the powerful Philadelphia lineup.
The trouble began in the first when Francis issued a leadoff walk to Bryson Stott before allowing back-to-back homers to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. Francis entered the game with 15 home runs allowed — the third-most in MLB this season, and left the mound as the league leader.
Philadelphia continued to pour in on in the opening frame, as Max Kepler picked up an RBI-single and Stott drove in a pair with a base hit of his own, growing the Phillies’ lead to 6-0 before the Blue Jays got up to the plate.
Francis came back out for the second, but wasn’t able to escape the inning after getting two outs, as Addison Barger was charged with a throwing error in right field, trying to nail a tagging Harper, which allowed another run to cross the plate.
Eric Lauer was called upon in relief and was able to get Kepler to pop out and end the inning.
Francis ended his evening with seven hits allowed, seven runs (six earned), two walks, one hit batter and two strikeouts. It’s been an uneven season for the 29-year-old. He seemed to be making progress after a pair of effective starts, including a scoreless outing against the Texas Rangers, but now will go back to the drawing board after his 58-pitch appearance on Tuesday.