CINCINNATI -- The ninth inning Monday at Great American Ball Park was unfortunately the perfect time capsule of what the last month has been for the Blue Jays.
They stormed from behind to a 4-2 lead in the top of the ninth inning with three runs on a pair of clutch home runs from Bo Bichette and Daulton Varsho. Bichette’s 17th of the season, an opposite-field shot to right off Reds closer Emilio Pagán, put the Blue Jays in position for their 42nd come-from-behind win of the season. That would have matched the Dodgers for the most in the Majors.
But the bottom of the ninth was yet to be played, and Toronto’s bullpen, as tired as it’s been, had to find a way to record three outs. It could only manage one as the Reds rallied against Tommy Nance and Brendon Little for a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays, sending the visitors to their third loss in four games and fourth in six.
For as much as the bullpen will take grief for another blown game, it was starter Chris Bassitt who was trying to shoulder blame postgame despite allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks and pitching one batter deep into the seventh before being pulled after 107 pitches (63 strikes).
“I feel like I cost us the game,” said Bassitt, who gave up a single to Ke’Bryan Hayes to open the seventh. “I didn't get that out there. I could have gotten through the seventh there and then set us up a lot better. I know our bullpen is really worn down right now. They need length out of our starters, and I had to get that out there and just didn't do it.”
Before the game, manager John Schneider confirmed that the Blue Jays are moving away from a six-man rotation in order to add length and arms to the ‘pen, with Eric Lauer moving out of the rotation.
Bassitt walked TJ Friedl to open the game, breaking Toronto’s string of four games without its starter issuing a free pass, which was tied for the franchise’s best such streak with one from June 14-17, 2024, per Elias Sports Bureau.
“Our starters feel good,” Bassitt said. “I know there's probably a lot of hatred, so to speak, on the bullpen and things like that. But I mean, those guys are tired.”
Nance opened the ninth in relief of Yariel Rodríguez, who pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth and was in line for the win. Hayes looped a single to center to open the frame before Nance got Miguel Andujar to pop out to short. It would be the final out the Blue Jays would register in the game.
Matt McLain followed with a sharp single to right, chasing Nance.
“I don't really think that the confidence isn't there,” Nance said. “This goes back to this is a weird game sometimes, and there's a lot of things that we can't control. And yeah, I don't really think it's a confidence thing. It'll start rolling, I think, for everybody out there.”
Lefty Little was brought in to face the lefty Friedl, who promptly lined what appeared to be a game-tying double to right, with Hayes and McLain scoring easily. But the ball lodged in the bullpen door for a ground-rule double, and the Blue Jays caught a major break as only Hayes scored.
With Toronto still protecting a 4-3 lead, Noelvi Marte lined a seeing-eye single to left, scoring McLain and Friedl to give the Blue Jays their 23rd blown save of the season in 61 chances. Toronto was two outs from its fourth win in 51 games when trailing after eight. Instead, that stat falls to 3-48.
“We've been through so many of these,” Schneider said. “I've said it before: This group is so good at moving on to the next thing, whether it's inning by inning -- which we saw in the ninth inning -- or day by day, you come ready to play tomorrow.”
Schneider, who was without three relievers in Seranthony Domínguez, Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland, insists he hasn’t lost any confidence in his ‘pen.
“I'm always going to have confidence in them,” Schneider said. “I mean, we're at this point in the season, and we've gotten here because of everyone on the team."
For Bichette, his home run capped a 4-for-4 day, which included two doubles, two RBIs and nine total bases.
“I'm just competing every day,” Bichette said. “I haven't felt amazing every day. Just competing every day, putting up numbers, trying to help the team win. That's it.”