Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr scores as San Francisco Giants catcher Chris Casali stands at home plate with plate umpire Chad Whitson at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Wed Jul 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

Toronto ((42-50). 000 036 010. 10 14. 0

San Francisco (45-48). 200 011 002. 6. 9. 1

Time: 2:41

Attendance: 32,014

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

SAN FRANCISCO–Wednesday night’s ignominious 10-6 defeat of the Giants at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays came as quite a contrast to Tuesday’s hard fought walk off pitchers’ duel of a win. The drubbing the orange and black received was only barely masked by the two runs they managed to tack on as a fig leaf in the bottom of the ninth.

The starting pitchers for both teams were work horses. San Francisco’s Logan Webb began the evening at 7-6, 3.09 and leading the National League in innings pitched with 119-1/3. Toronto’s Chris Bassitt (7-7, 3,43 at game time) had 200 last season.

The one time Oakland A has had an injury plagued career . While a minor leaguer in the White Sox organization he suffered a broken finger on his right, pitching, hand. While with the A’s, he missed almost a month in 2015 because of a strained right shoulder and almost all of the 2016 and part of the 2017 seasons for Tommy John surgery. Then he lost almost a month in ’21 after a line drive fractured one of his cheekbones in late August.

The Giants jumped out to an early lead on first inning singles by LaMonte Wade, Jr., back in lineup, Michael Conforto, and Thairo Estrada with a walk to Patrick Bailey thrown into the mix. That’s where things stood until the Jays erupted for three runs in the top of the fifth on Ernie Clment’s 385 foot blast into the left field bleachers with Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., and Alejandro Kirk on board.

The Giants got one of those runs back in their half of the frame on an infield hit by Bailey and Conforto’s double to right center, and a wild pitch. That was the last inning Bassitt would pitch Wednesday night. He finished his work after throwing 99 pitches, 60 for strikes. The three runs he surrendered were earned and came on five hits and a walk. He struck out a half a dozen Giants and gained his eighth win of the year even though it raised his ERA to 3.52,

Toronto erupted for three runs against the heretofore hermetic Webb, in the top of the fifth on singles by Davis Schneider and Alejandro Kirk followed by Ernie Clement’s 385 foot homer to left center. Those three RBI were 75% of his career high four in the game.

Webb became completely undone. in the sixth, when the Blue Jays crossed the plate a half a dozen times, in ways too numerous and painful to mention. Four of the runs were charged to him, giving him a total of seven, all. earned.

The Giants’ ace, who will, along with Héliot Ramos, represent the team in the All-Star Game was the losing pitcher, leaving his record at 7-7, 3.47. He surrendered eight hits and a walk to the 24 batters he faced. His successor, Sean Hjelle, was charged with two runs, both earned, on three hits in the one inning he pitched, while Luke Jackson coughed up another run in his three innings of relief.

The Blue Jays sent a total of five hurlers to the mound. Following Bassitt were Brendon LIttle (2/3 of an inning, a run, earned, on two hits and an equal number of walks; Zach Pop (one batter); Ryan Burr (two perfect innings); and Bowdin Francis, who gave up back to back consolation prize solo round trippers to Bailey and Chapman in the final, futile ninth.

Wade, Bailey, and Conforto, with two each, had multi hit games for SF.George Springer, Leo Jiménez, who replaced Bo Bichette, who left the game with muscle soreness in the bottom of the fourth, and David Schneider got two hits apiece for the visitors, and Clement got three.

Who knows what surprises are in store for us when these two struggling teams play the rubber game of the series Thursday, at 12:45 San Francisco’s Jordan Hicks (4-5, 3.47) is slated to start against Toronto’s Kevin Gausman (6-8, 4.64).