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Bats fail Jays, McGowan
Dustin mcgowan
Dustin McGowaN
It seems to be a reoccurring theme lately, as the Toronto Blue Jay batters take the night off when local pitcher Dustin McGowan takes the mound.
During the right-hander’s last four starts he has given up three earned runs in each game and averaged six innings of pitching. One would think, the pitcher and the team would be at least be 2-2 over that span, but with the anemic offense of the Toronto ball club, he has gone 0-3, with one no-decision, and the team has been 0-4. During those four games, the Blue Jays have averaged meager 2.25 runs in each of the contests.
Sunday, McGowan and the Jays faced the Los Angeles Angels and ace pitcher Kelvin Escobar.
Escobar, who pitched for the Blue Jays from 1997-2003, dominated his old team, allowing only one run and five hits in eight innings. The win was his fourth in four outings, and for the night he struck out five and didn’t allow a walk.
McGowan said, “He’s got a good fastball, but he doesn’t throw it that often. He mixes it up, and then the fastball goes by you. He’s tough.”
Despite getting the loss, McGowan was pretty tough himself, going seven innings and only allowing six hits.
The Long County native faced 27 batters, throwing 101 pitches, with 62 being for strikes. He struck out 6 of the halo batters, had zero walks, but did allow one homerun in the second inning.
The pitcher is now 8-8 for the year, posting a 4.18 ERA.
In his last eight starts, McGowan has been solid in all, having a 2.91 ERA, but has only been able to pick up three wins, against three losses.
On Monday, the Blue Jays faced the Angels again, and this time they won 6-2, having to go 12 innings. With that win, the team is now 66-65, and is in fifth place in the American League Wildcard Race, eight games behind the Seattle Mariners, who are at 73-56.
The Jays begin a three-game series with the Mariners on Friday, and McGowan will be back on the mound in the second game of that series Saturday.
If the team is going to make their move toward that coveted wild-card spot, they need to win all three games.
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