The Rockies hit 12 in their first win in Toronto as the Jays imploded again

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The forecast heading into Friday's three-game Rogers Center series opener sounds too good to be true for the Blue Jays, so it might actually be scary.

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Never in franchise history three times and in more than nine previous games have the Colorado Rockies won a game in Toronto, and even worse, they have amassed a 3-10 record heading into their last appearance.

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With Kevin Gausman on the mound, what could possibly go wrong for the Blue Jays?

Most things, as it turns out, have come easily to this team over the past year and are the latest example of little that has changed.

For the second consecutive outing, Gausman suffered a concussion that lasted just 3.2 innings as the Jays were destroyed/humiliated 12-4 in front of a raucous crowd of 29,035 at Rocky Rogers Center. It was another loss for manager John Schneider's team, which is still looking for traction, as it fell to 6-8 and 2-2 in its first stand of the season.

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He did so against inferior opposition in uncompetitive fashion, as the Rockies managed 20 hits on the night.

The prevailing wisdom — or, really, the hope — is that Gausman's 1.1 innings of rough work at Yankee Stadium last weekend had more to do with a chilly day in the Bronx than a loss of form.

But the lack of efficiency in that outing, the shortest since 2019, carried over to Rogers Center, where the Rockies hit him hard and often.

Of the 10 hits they scattered, hardly a cheap one came, with more than half coming off Rockies bats at 100 mph or more. The hits and earned runs (six) were the most in a game by Gausman since May 4 of last season, when he took over as a regular, making him an American League Cy Young finalist.

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The Jays get two more crackers this weekend in the NL West Rockies, barring ridiculous projections, should take care of business against a team they really should be down.

In just 14 games, the team hasn't been able to generate anything resembling momentum other than a modest two-game winning streak against the Mariners earlier this week.

As his rotation brother Chris Bassitt pointed out recently, it wasn't a great start to the season last season for the best teams in baseball.

Bassitt has had a couple visits with Bowden Francis and now Gausman. While Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi are great, it's not enough.

There is a reasonable belief that Gausman will sort things out, but it will only grow stronger unless he acts urgently.

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To that end, the rotation is mixed early on Saturday. Yariel Rodriguez, a Cuban free agent signed by the Jays in the offseason, arrived from Buffalo and will make his MLB debut on Saturday, moving to the bullpen after Francis went 12 runs in 8.1 innings. work to date.

The Jays allowed 74 runs, the second-most in the AL, with an inconsistent total offense. Most of the losses were ugly, as the Jays surrendered eight or more runs in six of those eight losses.

They will turn to the 27-year-old, who signed a five-year deal this winter. In his brief stint at Triple-A Buffalo, Rodriguez has allowed just one hit in 6.1 innings of work and has yet to give up a run.

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“He's adjusted well (to North American ball),” Schneider said before Friday's game. “Not that we didn't expect it. It's ready to roll.

“He was closer than we thought at the end of camp. We wanted to make sure it was sustainable.”

As for Gausman, he has now become the person with the most interest in the Jays rotation. Reduced to just one appearance after spring training due to shoulder strain, Gausman was rough in his first outing in Tampa but worked through the last two.

Against the Rockies, his location was suspect, and the struggling visitors celebrated him, cruising his ERA to 11.57. We all know this isn't the real Gausman, but given the early struggles, the Jays will need to get the 2023 version back as soon as possible.

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THE GAME HAS STARTED

The Rockies had scored just 54 runs in 13 games before Friday, then blanked the Jays, scoring 10 runs in each of innings two through seven. Aside from 10 from Gausman, they doubled that lead to 20… The only bright spots for the Jays were Dolton Warshaw's first home run of the season, a solo shot in the second and another solo shot by Isaiah Keener-Falefa in the ninth (also his first. )

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Saturday is a big day for the rebuilding Jays in Buffalo. Jordan Romano and Eric Swanson will start, Alec Manoa will start, and Danny Jansen will also catch … If all goes well, the latter three could be added to the Jays at any point in the Yankees series. Next week starts Monday … Schneider said Jansen expects to play Saturday and Sunday.

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