ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s uncanny, really. Every time Bowden Francis pitches there’s a no-hit bid. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, though, this one came at their expense.
While Francis pitched well, it was left-hander Cody Bradford who held the Blue Jays hitless until the fifth inning on the way to a 2-0 Rangers win in which the visitors recorded just five hits. The Blue Jays struck out nine times against Texas, advancing just four runners as far as second base and falling to 72-80 on the season.
But where the offence struggled, Francis continued to excel. He allowed only two runs on five hits over the course of six innings, striking out six while walking one. The only runs of the game came on a home run by Adolis Garcia, who also robbed Addison Barger of an extra-base hit with a leaping catch in right field.
Earlier this summer, a Francis start like this would have been notable, but lately, it’s become the status quo for the right-hander, who took a no-hitter into the ninth inning in his last start, a week ago against the Mets.
“He puts himself in the right mindset to do what he does,” said manager John Schneider. “That’s just the growth of a starting pitcher. But I think he fits that (starting) mould really well. He doesn’t panic. He understands how to be present with every situation. It’s kind of a cool meeting point of stuff and mentality.”
Team results aside, Francis establishes his place on this roster more and more with each passing start. He has now thrown seven consecutive quality starts, including four games in which he’s completed seven or more innings with just one hit allowed. Coincidentally, Jose Berrios is also working on a streak of seven straight quality starts but before that, the last Blue Jay to do so was Alek Manoah in 2022.
Asked what he likes best about these last seven outings, Francis pointed to his mindset.
“I’m not losing any hunger,” he said. “I feel like I’m in the middle of the season almost with my mentality. I don’t ever want to get complacent and get into cruise control. I want to keep attacking and I feel like I’m doing that.”
When this stretch began, Francis was filling the spot vacated by Yusei Kikuchi and auditioning for a more prominent role. Less than two months later, it’s safe to say he’s claiming one. While lots can happen between now and opening day 2025, Francis is clearly among the organization’s best five starting pitchers right now and seems positioned to continue in this role indefinitely as a result.
“Just another great performance,” Schneider said. “It’s another really good step in the right direction. And it’s impressive, the run that he’s been on.”
This start gives Francis 98.2 innings at the MLB level plus 19.1 at triple-A for a 2024 total of 118, putting him on track to finish with 120-125 innings this year depending on how his final start of the season goes against Boston next week. That’s a significant workload, but the 28-year-old who describes himself as an “old soul” believes he can contribute more in 2025.
“It’s something to build on,” Francis said. “Next year I’ll be ready for 150-plus. I think I can go out there every five days and really show that I can be durable.”
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Meanwhile, a few minutes before first pitch the Blue Jays announced that Bo Bichette had been removed from the starting lineup with a right middle finger contusion. Bichette had just been activated Tuesday following a two-month stint on the injured list with a calf strain, but took a ground ball off his finger during pre-game warm-ups Wednesday and felt discomfort hitting and throwing.
The Blue Jays are now awaiting the results of an X-ray, and it’s unlikely Bichette will play in the series finale.
“Yeah, 2024 for Bo Bichette,” Schneider said. “He was pretty uncomfortable. We’ll get all the information and have more for you (Thursday).”
In other injury news, the Blue Jays announced that infielder Will Wagner will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in a standard cleanup procedure that will require at least four weeks of rest. Ideally, he’ll still have time to get ready for spring training 2025, at which point he’s positioned to compete for playing time at second base.
“He’s probably a little bit relieved that he’s getting this taken care of now,” Schneider said. “He showed really well and he’s a guy we’re confident in and rightfully so.”
Positionally, the Blue Jays see Wagner as a player who can move around, but he’s likely to get most of his reps at second base next year. For the rest of the 2024 season, the position will be covered by a combination of Davis Schneider, Leo Jimenez and perhaps Ernie Clement or Spencer Horwitz.
