Toronto Blue Jays non-existent in loss to Nationals

The Toronto Blue Jays dropped the opening half of their double-header 2-0 to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday.  Starting pitcher R.A. Dickey bounced back from his recent struggles with a quality outing, but the bats were no match for Jordan Zimmerman who spun an eight-inning shutout while scattering six hits.

In a game that passed by at light speed in a mostly-empty stadium, the Toronto Blue Jays failed to string any of their offensive bursts together, creating a performance that was frankly void of inspiration.  The two teams will get right back to it tonight in Washington as the Jays seek redemption, sending Marco Estrada to the mound to face Max Scherzer.

Game Notes:

made his return to the outfield after dealing with a shoulder injury and was tested early.  With two runners on in the first, Bautista tracked a deep liner from

, leaning against the wall to save an extra-base hit.  He looked comfortable enough fielding, but his ability to throw with velocity from the outfield to home plate is still highly questionable.

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MVJ:  Jose Reyes

Why not!  If you’ve listened to Toronto sports talk radio at all over the past two days, you’d be amazed that any MLB team featuring Jose Reyes could come within twelve runs of an opponent, let alone two.  Reyes played poorly, but with much of the roster doing the same around him, the cries for his demotion to single-A were limited to a dull roar.

Next: Blue Jays prospect watch: Roemon Fields

More from Jays Journal

• Blue Jays: Alek Manoah on pace to succeed in possible postseason
• Blue Jays: Bradley Zimmer has carved himself a valuable role
• Anthony Bass has been the shutdown reliever the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time