When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Max Scherzer to a one-year deal during the offseason, they were hoping they’d get the Scherzer of old. While that was probably a bad decision from the Blue Jays’ perspective,

With the Blue Jays up 1-0, Francis retired Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm before walking Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler. Then, the 29-year-old hit J.T. Realmuto with a pitch, walked Bryson Stott to bring in a run, and hit Otto Kemp to bring in another run. Toronto manager John Schneider had seen enough after that.

Bowden Francis’s struggles continued Saturday in the Blue Jays’ loss to the Phillies. Pressure on the right-hander is mounting as his team tries to gain ground in the American League standings.