Jays woes continue
TORONTO -- Chris Bassitt does not like how he or his Toronto Blue Jays have started 2024.
Bassitt allowed three runs on four hits, all in the sixth inning, while striking out four as Toronto fell to the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Although he improved his earned-run average to 5.45 from 5.64, Bassitt couldn’t hide his frustration.
“I’ll just keep worrying about what I can control and that’s obviously what I did today,” said Bassitt. “I’m beyond frustrated about what the hell’s going on.”
The Jays had an off-day Thursday and open a three-game set today at 4 p.m. PDT in Washington.
Bassitt said he made adjustments after he allowed seven runs in 2 2/3 innings in a 12-2 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on April 26. His struggles to start the season are a step down after he finished last season with a career-best 16 wins, a 3.60 ERA and 186 strikeouts, reaching 200 innings pitched for the first time ever.
“I mean, I got a 5.50 ERA and I feel like I had one bad game and it’s just yeah, I’m just pissed,” said Bassitt.
Michael Massey hit a three-run homer and drove in another run with a groundout as Kansas City (19-13) won for the second time in a row. Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez both had RBI singles in the sixth.
Seth Lugo (5-1) was superb, striking out eight and allowing just two hits and two walks over seven innings. Relievers Chris Stratton and Nick Anderson preserved the Royals’ win.
Danny Jansen’s solo home run in the seventh inning was the best that Toronto’s offence could do. The Blue Jays (15-17) have lost five of their past seven games.
Trevor Richards, Nate Pearson and Brendon Little came out of Toronto’s bullpen, with Pearson giving up three runs.
Bassitt had a no hitter going through five innings, retiring the first 11 of the first 12 batters he faced, issuing one walk in the first.
“We didn’t threaten (Bassitt) at all the first five innings,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “We maybe squared one ball up. He had everything working.”
It could have been 12 outs in the first 13 batters Bassitt faced, but a video review that his pitch had brushed Perez’s knuckles to award a free base in the fourth. Bassitt bore down and struck out Massey in the next at bat, however, to erase the call against him.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider was angry that the play was even reviewed. By Major League Baseball rules, a swing negates any hit-by-pitch call. Swings are a non-reviewable play in MLB, so an on-field ruling that Perez’s bat didn’t cross the plate for a third strike had to be made to allow the review of the potential hit by pitch to even happen.
“I think it was pretty obvious the ball hit him and it was even more obvious that he took a full swing. So, by the rules, he’s out,” said Schneider. “I know it looks minute because Chris strikes the next hitter up, strikes Massey out, but it means down the road everyone comes up a bit sooner.
“I thought that was a terrible call.”
Bassitt started to struggle in the sixth.
Witt singled to score Kyle Isbel, who had reached base with a leadoff double. In the next at bat, Vinnie Pasquantino advanced the all-star shortstop to third with a double.
“I think I made truly one bad pitch all day,” said Bassitt, referring to Pasquantino’s double. “