Bullpen squanders lead on 9th-inning dinger

Just as it looked like the Blue Jays’ red-hot lineup had stolen a win from the Red Sox, it was Toronto’s bullpen, its rock through the first six weeks of the season, that let it down.

Rafael Dolis gave up a two-run shot to J.D. Martinez with two outs in the ninth inning to surrender the lead, sticking the Blue Jays with an 8-7 loss. This also cost the Blue Jays a series win and kept the Red Sox in sole possession of the American League East, 2.5 games up on Toronto with the Rays and Yankees crammed right in the middle.

Yes, that’s a glance to the standings on May 20, with a full 120 games still ahead. It’s early, but with all arrows pointing toward the AL East being a tight race down the stretch, division games matter far more than they have in recent seasons, even if it’s just May. That’s why this series, the Blue Jays’ first of the month against a division rival, represented such an important measuring stick at this point in the season.

“We were one out away from taking two out of three. It’s just one of those games,” said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo after the loss. “This was a rollercoaster. It went from wondering if we have enough pitching to cover the game to [Steven] Matz regrouping and giving us six to having the lead, then getting runs against one of their best pitchers. Then it was one bad pitch at the end that Dolis hung. We’ve been 18-0 leading after eight, so it was meant to happen. It hurts a little more when it happens against your division."

The pendulum swung back and forth all night, but the Blue Jays faced a deficit early when starter Matz simply could not get out of trouble in the second. After two quick outs, the lefty allowed seven consecutive hits, then a walk, accounting for all five of the runs charged to him. He buckled down and was surprisingly efficient after that, giving the Blue Jays six innings, but Dolis couldn’t convert the save opportunity handed to him by Tyler Chatwood and Jordan Romano.

Toronto’s lineup did everything it could, including a three-hit night with a pair of doubles from Bo Bichette and two-hit nights from both Randal Grichuk and Teoscar Hernández. That will be enough most nights, and the Blue Jays will need to shore up these holes on the pitching side to let their strong lineup truly shine.

“It was a great comeback,” Montoyo said, “and a tough way to lose it. We did everything right. Matz struggled in the beginning with five runs, and somehow we found a way to regroup and our offense came back against a good pitcher. Everybody deserves credit, we were just one pitch away or two pitches away.”

As the Blue Jays prepare to welcome the Rays to TD Ballpark for their final series in Dunedin, here’s what you can take away from their division battle with the Red Sox:

The offense is enough

The Blue Jays finished the three-game series with 18 runs on 28 hits, and strikeouts haven’t been a problem like they were earlier this season. Guerrero is as hot as any hitter in baseball, and has been all season, while Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Hernández stretch the lineup’s power potential behind him.

Imagine how this lineup will look with a healthy George Springer at the top, giving Montoyo plenty of options with Semien and lengthening an already great lineup. The Blue Jays entered play on Thursday ranked comfortably within the top-10 in MLB in runs, home runs, average and on-base percentage. That’s one fine start, and there’s reason to believe it gets better from here.

The pitching isn’t

Water always finds its level, so eventually, the hot and cold streaks in the Blue Jays’ rotation will balance out. The return of some healthy arms will help, too, but it’s clear that starting pitching will be the Blue Jays’ biggest priority later this summer at the Trade Deadline.

Matz had his run in April, opening 4-0 with a 2.31 ERA, but it’s been a different story since. Then it was Robbie Ray who caught fire, and the hard-throwing lefty has struck out nine or more batters in four of his last five starts. There will be more hot streaks to come, and while No. 1 prospect Nate Pearson and No. 5 prospect Alek Manoah represent incredible upside for this rotation, a team expecting to make a deep run in October needs a sure thing, not just the potential of it.

This isn’t the full picture

Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Ryan Borucki, Julian Merryweather, David Phelps, Thomas Hatch, Anthony Castro, Joe Panik, Josh Palacios, Tommy Milone and Kirby Yates. Say hello to the injured players on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster. Gurriel wasn’t available on Thursday, either, dealing with a left knee contusion that has him “day to day,” Montoyo said.

No team will be at full health in June, August or October, but you have to expect things to improve from here for the Blue Jays, especially with the addition of Springer. Additions will still be needed come July, but the roster that almost took two out of three from the Red Sox this week isn’t the full picture.