TORONTO –– When the Cincinnati Reds arrived in Toronto, they were missing six position players who were on the injured list. And they had two potential starting position players on the restricted list due to COVID-19 regulations in Canada.
That group of players included six right-handed hitters who likely would have started had they been available to face the Toronto Blue Jays. So when the Blue Jays started left-handed pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu, a former All-Star, and followed him with a left-handed reliever out of the bullpen, the Reds offense didn’t have many answers.
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On Friday at the Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays beat the Reds, 2-1. The Reds needed to use a lineup that hadn’t played together all season, and the lineup didn’t have enough firepower.
Ryu is tough, elusive and can smell when you’re going after something," Reds first baseman Joey Votto said. "If you miss your one opportunity, that’s the end of it. He switches to something else. He knows what he’s doing out there."
The Reds were already missing second baseman Jonathan India, center fielder Nick Senzel, infielder Donovan Solano and shortstop Jose Barrero as right-handed hitting options due to injuries before the series started. Then on Friday, the Reds placed infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Albert Almora Jr. on the restricted list.
Players must be vaccinated to enter Canada, and Drury and Almora Jr. both didn’t make the trip on Friday. Without them, the Reds had to make further changes to the lineup they use against left-handed starters.
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Reds second baseman Matt Reynolds moved up to leadoff, and he filled the spot well with a three-hit game. Third baseman Taylor Motter started on the day he was called up from Triple-A, and left-handed center fielder TJ Friedl started with a tough left-handed pitcher on the mound.
"Tough night tonight to get started with (Ryu)," Reds manager David Bell said. "We'll figure it out, for sure. Definitely (he) pitched a great ballgame against us."
While Votto returned to the lineup for the first time in over two weeks and doubled in his first game back, the Reds didn’t score against Ryu over six innings.
In the seventh, when the Blue Jays brought left-handed reliever Ryan Borucki out of the bullpen, the bottom of the Reds order started a rally that nearly tied the game. With two runners on base for the top of the order, Reynolds drove in designated hitter Mike Moustakas to make it a 2-1 Blue Jays lead.
Then with runners on second and third base with two outs, Stephenson struck out to end the inning.
Reds starter Luis Castillo took the loss, but he only allowed two runs over six innings. In his most recent start, a loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Castillo said his changeup wasn’t as productive as it was capable of being. Against the Blue Jays, Castillo's changeup was better than it had been all season.
"It’s a treat to come back and play behind a major league pitcher," Votto said. "I wish we had gotten the win for him today."
Castillo had five strikeouts while throwing his changeup more than any other pitch. But even though Castillo executed his pitches over his entire start, the Blue Jays created two good breaks in the fifth inning.
Blue Jays center fielder Bradley Zimmer and shortstop Bo Bichette both doubled on pitches that Castillo landed outside the strike zone. Those two doubles helped the Blue Jays take an early 2-1 lead, and it was too much for an undermanned Reds offense to overcome.
"It was lucky for them they were able to get swings on two balls that were out of the strike zone," Castillo said via interpreter Jorge Merlos. "It’s nothing more than that, really."
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