Reid-Foley has learning curve in loss to KC

KANSAS CITY -- Blue Jays right-hander Sean Reid-Foley looked in at catcher Danny Jansen before throwing his first Major League pitch and one primary thought crossed Reid-Foley's mind.
"This wasn't [Triple-A] Buffalo anymore," Reid-Foley said. "Jansen looked really small."
Reid-Foley limited the damage in his MLB debut, but he was overshadowed by Royals starter Brad Keller as the Blue Jays fell, 3-1, on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium.
Reid-Foley needed 97 pitches to get through five innings and left with a two-run deficit. Reid-Foley allowed six hits, with the big blow coming in the second inning on a two-run homer by Ryan O'Hearn.
"I thought he was great," manager John Gibbons said of Reid-Foley's debut. "He battled and was ahead of most hitters. That's a good sign."

The Blue Jays broke on top when Devon Travis hit a solo homer in the first inning. But the Royals answered with O'Hearn's two-run blast and added another run in the fourth on O'Hearn's bases-loaded walk.
"I was nervous," Reid-Foley said. "I was sweating pretty bad and couldn't get a good grip on the ball the first couple of innings. I threw one bad pitch [to O'Hearn] and left it middle-middle. He capitalized on it. And don't walk a guy with the bases loaded. But at the end of the day, I gave up three and tried to keep my team in the game."
Keller worked seven innings and allowed just four hits and the lone run, as the Royals snapped a three-game losing streak.

Jansen also made his Major League debut and contributed two singles while throwing out Rosell Herrera trying to steal second.

"It was nice to have Danny back there. He has caught me for four years," Reid-Foley said. "Made that debut and now we get back to work."
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Longtime catcher Russell Martin played third base for the 11th time on Monday (seventh start) and contributed a fine defensive play to help Reid-Foley get through the third. With a runner at first and two out, Martin dove to his left to glove Salvador Perez's wicked shot. Martin scrambled to his feet and, although his throw was low, a nifty scoop by first baseman Justin Smoak completed the play.

SOUND SMART
With Reid-Foley on the mound and Jansen behind the plate, it marked the first time the Blue Jays had starting batterymates each making their MLB debuts. That has only happened five times in Major League Baseball over the past 25 years. The previous time it happened in the American League was on April 14, 1967, when Billy Rohr pitched and Russ Gibson caught for the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

HE SAID IT
"A big part of being successful in the Major Leagues is pitching with guys on base. You have to have the confidence to do it and you have to locate the ball. (Reid-Foley) has the stuff to do it. He got in some jams and made some big pitches. That's what you look for." -- Gibbons, reflecting on Reid-Foley's debut
UP NEXT
Blue Jays left-hander Ryan Borucki (2-2, 2.81 ERA) will try to build on recent performances in the second game of the series against the Royals at 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium. Borucki went five innings and allowed nine hits and four runs his last time out against the Red Sox. The Royals will counter with rookie righty Heath Fillmyer (1-1, 3.13).