The daily formula for the Blue Jays as the all-star break arrives is simple: Stay competitive. Make a key misplay that sets their opponent up for early runs. Then there’s a chance for another error or misplay later, to be sure the starter throws too many pitches and is out of the game. Bring in the bullpen to record maybe as many outs as the starter. Post-game, identify a bright side to the loss. Rinse and repeat.On Sunday, in a 5-2 loss to the Red Sox, No. 1 starter Marcus Stroman took to the mound for the final game before a four-day break. After a first-inning homer by Xander Bogaerts, second baseman Devon Travis missed a swipe tag and bobbled a grounder before he could make the out at first, setting up the second run.In the fifth inning, left fielder Teoscar Hernandez raced back and shied away from a catchable ball that landed at the base of the Green Monster for a Sandy Leon double. That play set up another two runs against Stroman, with his day ending after five.Then Mr. Bright Side emerged to point out that Hernandez homered — his 15th of the year — to tie the game in the third, Ryan Tepera came off the disabled list and threw a shutout inning, and Randal Grichuk batted leadoff and came up with two hits. There was also bad injury news. Face it, there will be never be any change in the way centre fielder Kevin Pillar plays the position, and that’s the way the Jays like it. It’s that reckless abandon that created the much-hyped Superman persona. On Saturday, he found his Kryptonite while making a diving catch in short centre that turned into a double play but cost him six to eight weeks. It began as just another day at the office, but immediately after the play Pillar trotted off the field, walked straight into the clubhouse and was out of the game. On Sunday, Pillar was placed on the DL after an MRI that found a sprain of the sternoclavicular joint at the base of his neck. In addition, infielder Lourdes Gurriel, who had been a ...
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