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.

Max Kepler hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday