Lowe isn't rattled by shaky Blue Jays debut
TORONTO -- Mark Lowe's debut in a Blue Jays uniform was one he'll want to forget after allowing three runs in a 7-6 loss to the Royals on Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre.
Lowe entered in the eighth inning looking to protect a 5-4 lead. He retired Alcides Escobar to start the frame, but then proceeded to surrender a solo homer to Ben Zobrist. That was just the first sign of trouble as the issues continued when Kansas City followed with three consecutive hits.
When it was all said and done, Lowe surrendered three runs on four hits over one inning. The three earned runs were just one shy of the total amount he allowed all season in Seattle prior to Friday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Video: KC@TOR: Zobrist ties the game with his second homer
"Not a bad pitch for some guys, not a good pitch to him," an accountable Lowe said after the game. "[Zobrist] likes the ball coming into him. Just trying to go backdoor slider and kind of yanked it over the middle of the plate. Right in his swing path, just a bad pitch in that situation."
The three earned runs charged to Lowe are the most he has allowed in one game since May 15, 2013, vs. Kansas City. It also marked the first time he surrendered a run since July 20, which came during a month when he allowed a total of two.
In other words, Lowe's performance on Saturday afternoon wasn't the norm and one game isn't going to change the way Toronto feels about the highly sought after reliever. Lowe is expected to be a major component of an overhauled bullpen that also includes Roberto Osuna, Aaron Sanchez and LaTroy Hawkins.
The fact that the rough outing came in Lowe's debut was probably a worst-case scenario for a pitcher that is trying to make a good first impression with his new ballclub, but Lowe says he's not the type of pitcher who lets something like this linger.
"I have the reliever mentality," said Lowe, whose ERA rose from 1.00 to 1.70. "The sun is going to come up tomorrow, we have a different game and I'll have completely different results."
Blue Jays manager John Gibbons also didn't seem too concerned and understandably so. It has been a chaotic 24 hours for Lowe, who learned of the trade on Friday afternoon and arrived in Toronto later that night. Lowe wasn't going to use that as an excuse, but his manager did that for him.
"That's his debut," Gibbons said. "He came in, getting his feet wet in a one-run ballgame. He's had a [heck] of a year and that's not going to make or break his career in Toronto. They have a heck of a ballclub on the other side."