Long County’s Dustin McGowan was back on the mound Tuesday as he and the Blue Jays faced the Oakland Athletics in Toronto. Despite McGowan, being off early, he still managed to complete five innings, as the Jays lost to the A’s by a score of 6-4.
The right-hander clearly was struggling early, as he allowed the leadoff men to reach base, then score, in his first three innings, resulting in Toronto falling behind 3-1.
But in the middle of the third he began to find his stuff, and he retired the next nine batters through the fourth and fifth innings.
As Toronto came out in the bottom of the sixth, they were down 4-1 and the game appeared to be over. However led by Frank Thomas and Vernon Wells hitting homeruns, the Jays managed to tie the game at 4-4.
Blue Jay relief pitcher Brian Tallet came out in the seventh, but was unable to retire either of the batters, and the A’s scored two more runs to go up 6-4, which ended up being the final score.
McGowan avoided the loss, and Tallet (2-3) picked it up with his lackluster inning.
On Wednesday night, Toronto lost again to Oakland, this time by a score of 4-1. It was the Blue Jays third loss in a row.
With Toronto’s (63-63) three-game skid, they are seeing their post-season chances slip away as they continue to keep their toehold on the .500 mark.
They currently are tied with three other teams, who are nine games behind the Seattle Mariners (71-53) in the wildcard race. Unfortunately, they also are behind the NY Yankees (70-56) and the Detroit Tigers (68-57), who are also seeking that coveted spot.
Even though the Blue Jays are struggling to make the playoffs, McGowan appears to no longer be struggling to make the roster as a starting pitcher in the majors.
For the year, McGowan has started 20 games, managing 8 wins against 7 losses. He has pitched in 123 innings, allowing 110 hits, and giving up 59 runs; with 57 of them being earned runs. He has allowed 11 homeruns, walked 48 and struck out 97 batters. His ERA for the year is a 4.19.
McGowan will be back on the mound Sunday when the Blue Jays travel to Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels.
The right-hander clearly was struggling early, as he allowed the leadoff men to reach base, then score, in his first three innings, resulting in Toronto falling behind 3-1.
But in the middle of the third he began to find his stuff, and he retired the next nine batters through the fourth and fifth innings.
As Toronto came out in the bottom of the sixth, they were down 4-1 and the game appeared to be over. However led by Frank Thomas and Vernon Wells hitting homeruns, the Jays managed to tie the game at 4-4.
Blue Jay relief pitcher Brian Tallet came out in the seventh, but was unable to retire either of the batters, and the A’s scored two more runs to go up 6-4, which ended up being the final score.
McGowan avoided the loss, and Tallet (2-3) picked it up with his lackluster inning.
On Wednesday night, Toronto lost again to Oakland, this time by a score of 4-1. It was the Blue Jays third loss in a row.
With Toronto’s (63-63) three-game skid, they are seeing their post-season chances slip away as they continue to keep their toehold on the .500 mark.
They currently are tied with three other teams, who are nine games behind the Seattle Mariners (71-53) in the wildcard race. Unfortunately, they also are behind the NY Yankees (70-56) and the Detroit Tigers (68-57), who are also seeking that coveted spot.
Even though the Blue Jays are struggling to make the playoffs, McGowan appears to no longer be struggling to make the roster as a starting pitcher in the majors.
For the year, McGowan has started 20 games, managing 8 wins against 7 losses. He has pitched in 123 innings, allowing 110 hits, and giving up 59 runs; with 57 of them being earned runs. He has allowed 11 homeruns, walked 48 and struck out 97 batters. His ERA for the year is a 4.19.
McGowan will be back on the mound Sunday when the Blue Jays travel to Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels.