Stroman: 'I know my guys are going to be there'

CHICAGO -- Marcus Stroman can’t seem to catch a break because the Blue Jays’ offense tends to go missing every time he takes the mound. It has been happening all season and it happened again on Thursday night.

Stroman came away with yet another no-decision despite picking up a quality start in Toronto’s 4-2 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. A squeeze bunt in the bottom of the eighth was enough to break the deadlock and resulted in the Blue Jays falling a season-low nine games below .500.

The 28-year-old Stroman allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits and a walk while striking out six and throwing 73 of his 107 pitches for strikes in his six innings. Seven of Stroman’s 10 outings this season have been quality starts and yet he hasn’t won a decision since April 19 when he allowed one run over eight innings against the A’s.

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“It’s a long season and I know my guys are going to be there at some point for me,” said Stroman, who has a 2.95 ERA. “It’s just something that we’re going through right now, but hopefully we get out of it.”

The lack of run support during Stroman’s outings has been a recurring theme this season. Stroman entered the series opener with an average of 1.38 runs of support per nine innings, which was the lowest in the Majors. He had not received a single run in each of his previous three outings and it had happened a grand total of six times this season. The Blue Jays’ bats were better on Thursday, but not by much, and not enough to get Stroman the win.

Stroman allowed one unearned run in the first inning, after Freddy Galvis made a rare error up the middle. Toronto’s Opening Day starter then allowed another run in the fourth on an RBI single by Ryan Cordell. Those were the only blemishes during an otherwise strong night on the mound and yet a couple of mistakes was all it took to extend Stroman’s winless streak to five games. Stroman has 10 runs of support over 58 innings this season.

“That guy competes,” manager Charlie Montoyo said after his team was held to two runs or fewer for the 17th time this season. “It was more the coaches saying, ‘Come on, let’s go, let’s get this guy some runs. Let’s get this guy a win.’ That’s what people were saying on the bench after he came out of the sixth inning … Because everybody knows we haven’t scored for him and he has given us a chance almost every time out.”

Galvis made up for his first-inning error with a solo home run in the second. The Blue Jays added another run in the sixth when Randal Grichuk reached base on a throwing error by Yoan Moncada, which allowed Eric Sogard to score. That was all the damage they could muster off White Sox right-hander Dylan Covey, but it was at least enough to get Stroman off the hook for the loss. Covey allowed the two runs, one earned, on a pair of hits and two walks.

The loss went to Toronto reliever Derek Law, who entered in the bottom of the eighth and allowed two of the first three batters of the inning to reach base. Chicago then called for Cordell to lay down a suicide-squeeze bunt and he executed it to perfection. Cordell put the ball on the ground, and while it was fielded by Law, his throw home was high and allowed Yolmer Sanchez to score what turned into the winning run.

The most pressing concern continues to be the Blue Jays’ lineup. After Galvis’ home run in the second, Brandon Drury immediately followed with a single to right. Toronto did not get a hit the rest of the way as the club tied its season low with two hits.

“It has been a struggle for offense,” said Montoyo, whose team is batting .228 (169-for-170) on the road. “I can’t explain it … Honestly, I didn’t see it coming like this. The beautiful thing about baseball is that tomorrow is a new day. I know they’re working hard. Our hitting coach [Guillermo Martinez] is working hard with them. Maybe tomorrow it starts. But the bats have not been there for the last couple of weeks, or more than that.”