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ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s uncanny, really. Every time Bowden Francis pitches there’s a no-hit bid. Unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, though, this one came at their expense.
While Francis pitched well, it was left-hander Cody Bradford who held the Blue Jays hitless until the fifth inning on the way to a 2-0 Rangers win in which the visitors recorded just five hits. The Blue Jays struck out nine times against Texas, advancing just four runners as far as second base and falling to 72-80 on the season.
But where the offence struggled, Francis continued to excel. He allowed only two runs on five hits over the course of six innings, striking out six while walking one. Earlier this summer, a start like this would have been notable, but lately it’s become the status quo for Francis, who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning in his last start, a week ago against the Mets.
“He puts himself in the right mindset to do what he does,” said manager John Schneider. “That’s just the growth of a starting pitcher. But I think he fits that (starting) mold really well. He doesn’t panic. He understands how to be present with every situation. It’s kind of a cool meeting point of stuff and mentality.”
Team results aside, Francis establishes his place on this roster more and more with each passing start. He has now thrown seven consecutive quality starts, including four games in which he’s completed seven or more innings with just one hit allowed. Coincidentally, Jose Berrios is also working on a streak of seven straight quality starts but before that the last Blue Jay to do so was Alek Manoah in 2022.
When this stretch began, Francis was filling the spot vacated by Yusei Kikuchi and auditioning for a more prominent role. Less than two months later, it’s safe to say he’s claiming one. While lots can happen between now and opening day 2025, Francis is clearly among the organization’s best five starting pitchers right now and seems positioned to continue in this role indefinitely as a result.
“A lot of the credit has to go to Bowden with how he prepares and how he’s executing,” Schneider said.
Minutes before first pitch, the Blue Jays announced that Bo Bichette had been removed from the starting lineup with a right middle finger contusion. Bichette had just been activated Tuesday following a two-month stint on the injured list with a calf strain, so the timing was far from ideal.
In other injury news, the Blue Jays announced that infielder Will Wagner will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in a standard cleanup procedure that will require at least four weeks of rest. Ideally, he’ll still have time to get ready for spring training 2025, at which point he’s positioned to compete for playing time at second base.
“He’s probably a little bit relieved that he’s getting this taken care of now,” Schneider said. “He showed really well and he’s a guy we’re confident in and rightfully so.”
Positionally, the Blue Jays see Wagner as a player who can move around, but he’s likely to get most of his reps at second base next year. For the rest of the 2024 season, the position will be covered by a combination of Davis Schneider, Leo Jimenez and perhaps Ernie Clement or Spencer Horwitz.
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