<p>The Toronto Blue Jays scored two runs in the first inning of last night&#8217;s game, a statistic that many fans may find hard to believe. The Jays were firmly in the driver&#8217;s seat from start to finish, with an interesting bottom eighth inning thrown in for good measure, but Toronto held the lead the entire game and improved their record to 18-20 on the season.</p>
<p>Kevin Gausman allowed three runs through 5 1/3, and the Jays&#8217; bullpen allowed just two hits the rest of the way. Brendon Little struck out three through 1 2/3 innings of work, and Yimi Garcia almost let things slip in the eighth inning, loading the bases with zero out, but a forceout with the runner getting tossed at home and two strikeouts got Garcia and the Jays out of the inning unscathed. Jeff Hoffman worked the ninth inning and got four outs, with a strikeout on a wild pitch, allowing the Mariners runner to reach first. Overall, it was the bounce-back outings Garcia and Hoffman needed to get back on the right course after their recent mishaps.</p>
<p>Looking ahead to tonight&#8217;s game, the Toronto Blue Jays are giving the ball to Bowden Francis, while right-hander Logan Evans will make his third Major League start for the Mariners.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bowden Francis, Dirty 83mph Splitter. ✌️ <a href="https://t.co/u6n1Rh0cRO">pic.twitter.com/u6n1Rh0cRO</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1919089517929119927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Francis is looking to bounce back after two rough outings against the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians, where he collectively allowed 14 hits and 11 earned runs through 7 1/3 innings of work. Before that Red Sox outing, the right-hander was working with a 3.58 ERA and a 5.53 FIP through 27 2/3 innings, allowing just 11 runs off of 24 hits while striking out 22 batters.</p>
<p>The long ball has been the biggest red flag for the 29-year-old, with Francis entering tonight&#8217;s game with a league-leading 11 home runs allowed. For the season, Francis owns a 5.66 ERA and a 6.79 FIP through 35 innings, with 25 strikeouts compared to 10 walks.</p>
<p>Opposite Francis will be Logan Evans, who is making just his third start of his career, with Logan Gilbert and George Kirby both on the IL. The <a href="https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/mariners/">tenth-ranked</a> Mariners prospect made his debut against the Miami Marlins on April 27th and picked up the win, tossing five innings with just two hits, three walks, and two runs allowed while striking out three batters on 78 pitches. His next outing was less desirable, as the right-hander allowed 11 hits and six runs to the Texas Rangers on May 4th, walking two and striking out five on the way to earning his first loss of the year.</p>
<p>Evans works with six pitches and predominantly features a cutter (22.4%), sinker (21.8%) and a sweeper (21.2%) but will also mix in a changeup, four seamer, and curveball. He doesn&#8217;t possess a ton of velocity, sitting in the low 90s with his sinker and four-seam pitches, but he gets a ton of horizontal break on his offerings to keep hitters off balance, trying to generate weak contact.</p>
<p>For the Blue Jays, Anthony Santander is not in the lineup again tonight, his second day off in a row.</p>
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<p><strong>Location: </strong>T-Mobile Park &#8211; Seattle, Washington</p>
<p><strong>First Pitch: </strong>9:40 PM EST</p>
<p><strong>Watch/Listen: </strong>Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan</p>
<h2>Starting Pitchers</h2>
<p><strong>Toronto Blue Jays &#8211; </strong>Bowden Francis: 2-5 record, 5.66 ERA, 35 IP, 25 SO, 10 BB</p>
<p><strong>Seattle Mariners &#8211; </strong>Logan Evans: 1-1 record, 7.20 ERA, 10 IP, 8 SO, 5 BB</p>
<h2>Lineups:</h2>
<p><strong>Blue Jays:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Bo Bichette &#8211; SS</li>
<li>Vladimir Guerrero Jr. &#8211; 1B</li>
<li>Daulton Varsho &#8211; CF</li>
<li>George Springer &#8211; DH</li>
<li>Alejandro Kirk &#8211; C</li>
<li>Addison Barger &#8211; 3B</li>
<li>Ernie Clement &#8211; 2B</li>
<li>Nathan Lukes &#8211; RF</li>
<li>Myles Straw &#8211; LF</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Mariners:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>J.P. Crawford &#8211; SS</li>
<li>Jorge Polanco &#8211; DH</li>
<li>Julio Rodriguez &#8211; CF</li>
<li>Cal Raleigh &#8211; C</li>
<li>Randy Arozarena &#8211; LF</li>
<li>Rowdy Tellez &#8211; 1B</li>
<li>Leody Taveras &#8211; RF</li>
<li>Miles Mastrobuoni &#8211; 2B</li>
<li>Ben Williamson &#8211; 3B</li>
</ol>
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The Toronto Blue Jays scored two runs in the first inning of last night's game, a statistic that many fans may find hard to believe. The Jays were firmly in the driver's seat from start to finish, with an interesting bottom eighth inning thrown in for good measure, but Toronto held the lead the entire game and improved their record to 18-20 on the season.

Kevin Gausman allowed three runs through 5 1/3, and the Jays' bullpen allowed just two hits the rest of the way. Brendon Little struck out three through 1 2/3 innings of work, and Yimi Garcia almost let things slip in the eighth inning, loading the bases with zero out, but a forceout with the runner getting tossed at home and two strikeouts got Garcia and the Jays out of the inning unscathed. Jeff Hoffman worked the ninth inning and got four outs, with a strikeout on a wild pitch, allowing the Mariners runner to reach first. Overall, it was the bounce-back outings Garcia and Hoffman needed to get back on the right course after their recent mishaps.

Looking ahead to tonight's game, the Toronto Blue Jays are giving the ball to Bowden Francis, while right-hander Logan Evans will make his third Major League start for the Mariners.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1919089517929119927

Francis is looking to bounce back after two rough outings against the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians, where he collectively allowed 14 hits and 11 earned runs through 7 1/3 innings of work. Before that Red Sox outing, the right-hander was working with a 3.58 ERA and a 5.53 FIP through 27 2/3 innings, allowing just 11 runs off of 24 hits while striking out 22 batters.

The long ball has been the biggest red flag for the 29-year-old, with Francis entering tonight's game with a league-leading 11 home runs allowed. For the season, Francis owns a 5.66 ERA and a 6.79 FIP through 35 innings, with 25 strikeouts compared to 10 walks.

Opposite Francis will be Logan Evans, who is making just his third start of his career, with Logan Gilbert and George Kirby both on the IL. The <a href="https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/mariners/">tenth-ranked</a> Mariners prospect made his debut against the Miami Marlins on April 27th and picked up the win, tossing five innings with just two hits, three walks, and two runs allowed while striking out three batters on 78 pitches. His next outing was less desirable, as the right-hander allowed 11 hits and six runs to the Texas Rangers on May 4th, walking two and striking out five on the way to earning his first loss of the year.

Evans works with six pitches and predominantly features a cutter (22.4%), sinker (21.8%) and a sweeper (21.2%) but will also mix in a changeup, four seamer, and curveball. He doesn't possess a ton of velocity, sitting in the low 90s with his sinker and four-seam pitches, but he gets a ton of horizontal break on his offerings to keep hitters off balance, trying to generate weak contact.

For the Blue Jays, Anthony Santander is not in the lineup again tonight, his second day off in a row.

<hr />

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<strong>Location: </strong>T-Mobile Park - Seattle, Washington

<strong>First Pitch: </strong>9:40 PM EST

<strong>Watch/Listen: </strong>Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan
<h2>Starting Pitchers</h2>
<strong>Toronto Blue Jays - </strong>Bowden Francis: 2-5 record, 5.66 ERA, 35 IP, 25 SO, 10 BB

<strong>Seattle Mariners - </strong>Logan Evans: 1-1 record, 7.20 ERA, 10 IP, 8 SO, 5 BB
<h2>Lineups:</h2>
<strong>Blue Jays:</strong>
<ol>
 	<li>Bo Bichette - SS</li>
 	<li>Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B</li>
 	<li>Daulton Varsho - CF</li>
 	<li>George Springer - DH</li>
 	<li>Alejandro Kirk - C</li>
 	<li>Addison Barger - 3B</li>
 	<li>Ernie Clement - 2B</li>
 	<li>Nathan Lukes - RF</li>
 	<li>Myles Straw - LF</li>
</ol>
<strong>Mariners:</strong>
<ol>
 	<li>J.P. Crawford - SS</li>
 	<li>Jorge Polanco - DH</li>
 	<li>Julio Rodriguez - CF</li>
 	<li>Cal Raleigh - C</li>
 	<li>Randy Arozarena - LF</li>
 	<li>Rowdy Tellez - 1B</li>
 	<li>Leody Taveras - RF</li>
 	<li>Miles Mastrobuoni - 2B</li>
 	<li>Ben Williamson - 3B</li>
</ol>

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