Blue Jays Bullpen Costs Villanueva; Lose Late To Phillies

The Blue Jays had a glimpse of what it might have been like to beat the great Roy Halladay at home this afternoon, but the success was fleeting. For the 2nd straight game – and more times than I can count myself having to write over the last month – the bullpen couldn’t hold a 1-run lead, as the bluebirds and Carlos Villanueva dropped a close 3-5 contest in Doc’s homecoming. None of it was really the fault of Villanueva, though; after getting off to a rough start that saw a pair of walks to leadoff the 1st inning, Villanueva settled down, and was – for the most part – step for step with the best pitcher in baseball though the better part of the game. Villanueva allowed 3 runs on 5 hits over his 6.2 innings, while walking 4 and striking out 3 – the walks aren’t pretty, but 2 of them came in the first inning when he was struggling with his command. At one point, the converted long-reliever turned starter retired 12 Phillies in a row, and...