Justin Verlander has some memorable moments at the Rogers Centre, including two hitters in 2011 and 2019 when he was a member of the Tigers and Astros, respectively. Now a member of the San Francisco Giants, Verlander was looking for a strong outing to begin the second half, but the Blue Jays would have something to say on the matter.

When the dust settled, Verlander would last just 2 2/3 innings, with his command faltering and the Jays collecting nine hits, four earned runs, and two walks with zero strikeouts. He was hanging curveballs, and while his fastball was hitting the mid-90s, he wasn’t getting much swing and miss. Those four runs would be enough, as the Jays eventually locked down the game by a score of 4-0.

Chris Bassitt made the start for Toronto, going 6 1/3 innings for his tenth win of the season. The Giants’ bats were on his stuff, collecting ten hits on the day, but the ‘Hound Dog’ was able to escape multiple jams, including two double-plays and multiple groundballs. Bassitt also struck out five batters and allowed zero walks, generating 14 whiffs on the day. According to Statcast, he used seven different pitches last night, with his sinker and cutter leading the charge at 37% and 19% respectively.

To round out the game, the Jays also called on Brendon Little, Yariel Rodriguez, and Jeff Hoffman, with the trio allowing just one collective hit through their 2 2/3 while striking out seven. Hoffman struck out each of his three batters he faced in the top of the ninth, while Little collected a hold after taking over for Bassit midway through the seventh inning.

The Blue Jays’ bats helped their starter early, including a strong second inning that saw the entire lineup go through the order. George Springer led the charge with a three-hit performance while Alejandro Kirk and Joey Loperfido chipped in two hits apiece as well. Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger, and Will Wagner rounded out the hit parade, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Ernie Clement failing to find the hit column.

Bichette had a rough second inning, taking a Verlander fastball to the ribs. He would remain in the game, and it will be interesting to see if he is in today’s afternoon contest.

The Blue Jays will be looking for the series win later today, with Eric Lauer facing off against the Giants’ top arm in right-hander Logan Webb, who owns a 2.94 ERA entering today’s game.