Bassitt's highwire act unravels as bullpen, offense dig too deep a hole

MILWAUKEE -- Chris Bassitt has this uncanny ability to let out a long sigh, stroll back up the mound and show you that he’s sick of this … stuff.

Bassitt left half of Wisconsin stranded on the bases for five innings Wednesday, stubbornly refusing to crack, but that couldn’t last forever. The moment Bassitt left the mound, the game unraveled into a 5-4 loss at American Family Field as the Blue Jays’ long, winding road back to .500 took another detour.

This is another example of how an inconsistent offense can put a blazing hot spotlight on every other inch of the Blue Jays’ roster. Toronto’s offense has looked better in recent weeks and nearly pulled off a major comeback in the ninth inning before falling a run short, but coming off eight runs over three days in Milwaukee and a tough road ahead, it’s time to talk about the bats again.

“These guys are grinding,” said manager John Schneider. “It’s a tough trip, coming from the West Coast back to [Milwaukee], but we’re playing better for sure and we had our chances. [The late comeback] says a lot about them. It’s a getaway day and all of that stuff, but it says a lot about the way they’re going about it.”

So many of these games have turned into a highwire act for the Blue Jays, and that rope started wobbling late in the sixth inning soon after the Blue Jays’ bullpen had taken over. The Brewers had runners on the corners with two outs when Brice Turang broke for second, and while Alejandro Kirk’s bold throw had a good shot to beat him to the bag, the ball skipped low in front of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and allowed the runner on third to scamper home.

A couple of RBI singles later, Willy Adames hit a ball to the moon, his two-run shot smacking off the gigantic scoreboard that hangs high above center field. The game was wound so tight that when it finally snapped, it unraveled in a dizzying flurry.

Even though this didn’t happen to Bassitt directly, he deserved better. Bassitt stranded the bases loaded and left a man on third in another inning, willing the Blue Jays forward without his best stuff for 100 pitches. Earlier on this same road trip, Bassitt gave the Blue Jays eight innings of one run ball and had to watch on as the A’s walked the Blue Jays off, 2-1. Starts like these should be rewarded, but when the offense isn’t scoring, that can turn into a crapshoot.

Bassitt’s had a few of these starts now, where he’s narrowly avoided danger, and it’s not just luck. He’s oddly comfortable with his back up against the wall.

“I’ve been able to work my way out of jams because I’ve been given the ability to try to work my way out of jams,” Bassitt explained. “I think that too often in this industry, guys get in jams and all of the sudden it’s like, ‘Go to the bullpen because he can’t get out of a jam.’ I’ve been in that situation a lot. I know how to get out of them. I think the league, in general, goes the other way and they don’t give a chance [for pitchers] to figure that aspect out.”

Bassitt has been remarkable for nearly two months now. Going back to the start of May, the right-hander owns a 2.25 ERA over eight starts, good enough to drag his season ERA down to 3.56 after a frustrating April. Kevin Gausman is coming off his best start of the season, Yusei Kikuchi has a 3.26 ERA and José Berríos’ ERA sits at 2.93. While other stories have taken the spotlight for a day or two along the way, one truth remains: this rotation needs some help.

“Our starters have got to be good. That’s just the reality of our team,” Bassitt said. “Our starters have to be good and I feel like we’ve done a [much] better job over the last month of doing that.”

Bassitt nailed it. He often does.

Someday, the Blue Jays need to afford their starters the luxury of a cushion, a day where they can allow four runs but still grind through a win. The starters are aware those days will be rare, though, and until this offense starts to produce more consistently, the road back to .500 isn’t going to get any easier.