Pillar received plenty of love from fans in his return to Toronto as the Blue Jays pitching staff had a rough night against the SFGiants bats. (bnicholsonsmith)
But in the bottom of the eighth inning, that changed. With the bases loaded and one out, Rowdy Tellez crushed a Tony Watson fastball over the centre field wall for his first career grand slam. That homer brought the Blue Jays within one, but the Giants held on to beat the Blue Jays 7-6.
Still, Tellez’s continued production is a positive development for the Blue Jays, who traded away the likes of Pillar and Kendrys Morales to get long looks at their young players. The home run, Tellez’s fifth of the year, gives him a stellar .259/.333/.552 batting line 20 games into the season. It’s still a relatively small sample, but to his credit, the 24-year-old has only ever hit at the major-league level.
Eric Sogard also homered for the Blue Jays, while Socrates Brito collected his first extra-base hit with Toronto, a triple. Later in the game, Freddy Galvis pinch hit to extend his MLB-best consecutive games played streak to 349. The Blue Jays have been hitting far better of late, with at least five runs scored in five consecutive games.
The pitching staff looks more vulnerable than before, however, with Matt Shoemaker out for the year and recurrent finger issues plaguing Aaron Sanchez. While the Blue Jays expect Sanchez to make his start Saturday, there are still no guarantees on that front since he left his last start due to a broken nail.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pillar drives in a run, Giants hit four homers to power past Blue Jays - Sportsnet.caJoe Panik homered and drove in three runs, Kevin Pillar had an RBI in his return to Rogers Centre, and the San Francisco Giants held off a late Toronto comeback attempt to defeat the Blue Jays 7-6 on Tuesday in the opener of a two-game interleague series.
Read more »
Pillar reflective, appreciative ahead of his return to TorontoAhead of making his return to Toronto, Kevin Pillar discusses how strange it is to be back as a member of the Giants, reflects on his favourite memories as a Blue Jay, his heartfelt message he sent to the fans, and touches on the reception he could receive. Pillar also discusses how challenging it's been adjusting to a new league, and says he's not ruling out returning to play in Toronto one day.
Read more »
Kevin Pillar gets rousing ovation from Blue Jays fans after tribute - Sportsnet.caThe Blue Jays played a rousing video tribute for Kevin Pillar, who returned to the Rogers Centre with the San Francisco Giants.
Read more »
Ex-Files: How Pillar, former Blue Jays are faring in the young season - Sportsnet.caThe latest edition of the Ex-Files takes a look at how Kevin Pillar and other former Blue Jays are faring nearly a month into the 2019 season.
Read more »
Pillar still rooting for Blue Jays as memories surface in first trip back - Sportsnet.ca“I’ve got no hard feelings. Even as a member of the San Francisco Giants I want what’s best for this organization.' Kevin Pillar is grateful for the memories with the BlueJays (bnicholsonsmith)
Read more »
Pillar reflects on Blue Jays career in return to Rogers Centre after tradeKevin Pillar wasn't sure how he'd feel stepping onto the Rogers Centre turf in a different uniform for the first time.
Read more »
Kevin Pillar a big hit with fans in return to Rogers Centre, just weeks after his life-changing trade from Blue JaysKevin Pillar a big hit with fans in return to Rogers Centre, just weeks after his life-changing trade from Blue Jays Globe_Sports
Read more »
Pillar drives in a run, Giants hit four homers to power past Blue Jays - Sportsnet.caJoe Panik homered and drove in three runs, Kevin Pillar had an RBI in his return to Rogers Centre, and the San Francisco Giants held off a late Toronto comeback attempt to defeat the Blue Jays 7-6 on Tuesday in the opener of a two-game interleague series.
Read more »
Pillar reflective, appreciative ahead of his return to TorontoAhead of making his return to Toronto, Kevin Pillar discusses how strange it is to be back as a member of the Giants, reflects on his favourite memories as a Blue Jay, his heartfelt message he sent to the fans, and touches on the reception he could receive. Pillar also discusses how challenging it's been adjusting to a new league, and says he's not ruling out returning to play in Toronto one day.
Read more »
Kevin Pillar gets rousing ovation from Blue Jays fans after tribute - Sportsnet.caThe Blue Jays played a rousing video tribute for Kevin Pillar, who returned to the Rogers Centre with the San Francisco Giants.
Read more »