Blue Jays' Bowden Francis: Turns in scoreless appearance

Francis allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three over four shutout innings in a no-decision in Sunday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Athletics.

Francis made his first start since April 7, taking over the rotation spot that previously belonged to the injured Alek Manoah (elbow). Since Francis hadn't worked more than 3.2 innings in any of his appearances in the majors or minors since early April, the Blue Jays monitored his workload carefully Sunday, but he needed just 49 pitches to record 12 outs before exiting the contest. Francis should get another start against the Guardians this upcoming weekend, but it's unclear if the Blue Jays plan to have him handle a traditional starter's workload anytime soon. Toronto could soon return Yariel Rodriguez (back) from the injured list, and the team had previously deployed Rodriguez and Francis as piggyback starters earlier in the season to limit their pitch counts with the aim of increasing both pitchers' overall effectiveness.