Smyly (1-3) took the loss Friday despite recording eight strikeouts against the dangerous Blue Jays lineup. He surrendered only two hits, two earned runs and a walk over six innings.
The recurring exercise in frustration that has been Smyly's 2016 season continued Friday, as he was saddled with his third loss despite a fourth consecutive quality start. After not surrendering a home run in his last three games, it was the long ball - along with a lack of run support - that did in the 26-year-old southpaw Friday. Michael Saunders and Josh Donaldson touched up Smyly for solo shots, nullifying an effort in which he induced an impressive 15 swings and misses and threw 63 of 99 pitches for strikes. He'll try to break his string of bad fortune in his next trip to the mound, Wednesday against the Dodgers.