Big night for Bo undone by 'weird' late innings

LOS ANGELES -- With an announced on-field temperature of 83 degrees at first pitch, Tuesday’s game at Dodger Stadium had a palpable warmth as it got underway.

As the night unfolded, it became evident that it wasn’t just the weather that was heating up in the greater Los Angeles area, as Bo Bichette cast aside an uncharacteristic 0-for-18 drought at the plate with a breakthrough offensive performance that reinforced the electricity he brings to the ballpark when at his best.

Bichette paced the offense with a 4-for-6 night, coming a triple shy of the fourth cycle in Toronto history before the Blue Jays fell to the Dodgers, 8-7, in 10 innings in a dramatic, back-and-forth affair to tie the series at a game apiece.

“He was impressive,” said manager John Schneider of Bichette’s big night. “Just looking at his overall at-bats, he was on everything. The homer, with two strikes on a breaking ball, hitting it the way he did, that’s kind of … him. He’s one of the best hitters in the league, for sure, and that’s kind of what we’ve come to expect.”

Driving in a pair of runs and scoring another after turning around an 0-2 slurve from Los Angeles starter Julio Urías for a 411-foot homer in the third inning, Bichette paced the offense in support of right-hander Chris Bassitt, who labored a bit in his five-plus innings but dug deep to escape a handful of jams along the way.

Normally known for his pinpoint command, Bassitt issued four walks, tied for the second most he’s allowed in a start this season -- but he minimized the damage at nearly every turn.

“Obviously, I escaped some situations, but I didn’t think I was that sharp,” said Bassitt of his outing. “Stuff-wise, it may have been there, but the sharpness and location was not very good.”

After Bassitt departed following a leadoff walk in the sixth, Toronto’s relief corps took over -- and for a few innings, all seemed in line for a victory, which would have netted the Blue Jays their first series win at Dodger Stadium since June 2007. These middle frames were highlighted by two dominant innings from left-hander Génesis Cabrera, who joined the club on a waiver claim this week and has spun three scoreless innings in two games, striking out four.

“Really, really impressive outing from him,” said Schneider of Cabrera’s ability to keep the Dodgers’ loaded lineup at bay.

Danny Jansen’s three-run double in the ninth seemed to provide some breathing room, extending a 4-3 lead to 7-3, but that’s when things took a turn. With All-Star closer Jordan Romano unavailable after pitching in the previous two games, Erik Swanson was called upon to navigate the bottom of the ninth.

Things quickly unraveled, as Swanson allowed five hits and four runs to erase the Blue Jays’ lead and send the game to extras. That the inning even spiraled as it did was the consequence of “two weird plays,” as Schneider characterized them.

A potential game-ending double-play ball off the bat of Will Smith wasn’t corralled by Matt Chapman at third base, loading the bases with one out. Swanson then walked Max Muncy to force in a run and struck out J.D. Martinez. With two outs and a victory in plain sight, Chris Taylor singled off the glove of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the ball deflected toward second baseman Santiago Espinal to plate another run -- and when Espinal didn’t react in time to throw home, the delay allowed Smith to score the tying run.

“We’re talking about a Platinum Glover with a bad hop there,” said Schneider of Smith’s hard smash to Chapman. “That kind of sucks. And then a weird play, kind of a squibber on a slider to Taylor. But we take pride in those things, and when you’re playing a really good team, it kind of gets magnified. But those were outlier plays, I think, for us.”

With Toronto in the thick of the AL Wild Card picture, every win is crucial, every decision scrutinized -- but the clubhouse after Tuesday’s wild defeat maintained an attitude of moving forward despite the setback.

“It kind of sucks right now, for sure. That’s a tough one,” summed up Schneider, “but you’ve got to move on. Baseball’s weird sometimes, I’ve said that before. … But you can’t dwell on it.”

“You’ve got to have short-term memory,” added Bassitt. “As crazy as it would’ve been if we won this game, it can't really change your mindset going into tomorrow. Forget about it, move on, and go win tomorrow.”