Inconsistency hurting Jays

TORONTO — There was no hiding the frustration after the Toronto Blue Jays fell back to the .500 mark with a 10-5 loss to Oakland on Thursday night.

Manager John Gibbons offered pithy replies in a media availability that lasted just 81 seconds. Starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez dropped a few expletives in his scrum with reporters.

A promising 15-10 April has been followed by a disappointing 6-10 May and the cracks are starting to show.

The Blue Jays were hoping to build on a stellar performance from a day earlier in New York. Instead they kicked off a seven-game homestand with a dud.

It was the Athletics who came to play on this night, with Khris Davis leading the charge by hitting one of three Oakland homers and finishing with four hits.

After the game, Gibbons kept his answers brief.

“It’s a tough night, that’s all I got,” he said. “No need to elaborate. A tough night.”

A reporter tried a follow-up question.

“Don’t bother,” said the skipper. Both Oakland and Toronto own identical records of 22-22. The Blue Jays have dropped nine of their last 12 home games.

Sanchez (2-4) threw 29 pitches in the first inning and never really got on track. He struck out eight but walked four and had his 97-pitch effort end with a leadoff walk in the fifth.

“They put good swings on it,” Sanchez said. “I felt like tonight any time I left the ball up in the zone it was smacked.”

Was he encouraged with the swinging strikeouts?

“I don’t really give a (expletive),” he said, adding an f-bomb for good measure.

Davis, who reached base five times in all, leads the Athletics with 13 homers. Matt Olson added a three-run shot in the fifth inning and Matt Chapman provided a two-run blast in the sixth.

Toronto brought the potential tying run to the plate in the eighth inning but Josh Donaldson grounded out to end the threat.