Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt bounces back in his first start at the Rogers Centre this season

In the third inning, Bassitt found himself in some trouble with a single and a walk putting runners on the bases with Rodriguez up at the plate with just one out. The Jays starter got the upper hand after five pitches, getting the Mariners slugger to ground out to second base on a low sinker and the defence turned two, getting out of the inning. Over the next two innings, Bassitt struck out four batters (all via swing and miss) and found himself in a similar troublesome situation in the sixth inning, runners on first and second with one out. The 35-year-old once again got out of the inning unscathed, getting France and Mitch Haniger to line out and fly out respectively.

The only run allowed by Bassitt came in the top of the seventh, with Dominic Canzone sending a sinker that caught too much of the plate the opposite way and over the wall for a solo home run. He would allow one more single before being replaced by Trevor Richards, with Bassitt leaving the field to a standing ovation.

This was Bassitt’s best start of the year, with the right-hander securing the win with the Blue Jays bats being able to provide him with some offence against a formidable opposing pitcher in George Kirby. He went 6 2/3 innings and allowed just five hits and one earned run compared to eight punchouts, with Bassitt tossing a season-high 115 pitches.

Utilizing over eight different pitches, Bassitt’s sinker led the way at 49 offerings while he mixed in his cutter, slider, sweeper, and curveball for over 10 pitches apiece. He produced 13 whiffs on the day, with four coming via his sinker and three swings and misses coming off his cutter and splitter, which he only threw eight times in the game. He left the game with his ERA dropping to 5.06 on the year and helped the Blue Jays earn their first series win on the season.

The one drawback of this outing was the free passes, with four walks being issued and adding some additional pitches on his evening that likely saw him come out a bit earlier than what we have seen from the veteran pitcher in the past. He has posted a sub-3.0 BB/9 dating back to 2019, so the command issues that have been impacting him early this year are a bit of a new hurdle for the 10-year veteran.

Overall, the Blue Jays are getting some solid outings out of Berríos, Bassitt, and Yusei Kikuchi as of late that have helped the Jays win some ball games when the bats have been struggling at times. Both Kevin Gausman and Bowden Francis were roughed out in their most recent outings and will be looking to right the ship later this week during the Jays’ current homestead, as the Jays take on the Mariners tomorrow with their 6-6 record on the line.

Tyson Shushkewich is a contributor at the Blue Jays Nation. He can be followed on X or Instagram at Tyson_MLB or reached via email at Tyson_MLB@hotmail.com