Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah gives up seven runs in MLB return

After working through three innings with six strikeouts and just one earned run allowed, Alek Manaoh’s return to the Toronto Blue Jays ended in disaster.

Making his first start since last August, Manoah allowed five runs in the fourth inning, including a go-ahead, three-run homer by Jesse Winker, overshadowing any of the positives from the previous three frames.

Manoah’s final line had him throwing 92 pitches — 52 strikes — over four innings, allowing six hits, seven runs (six of them earned), four walks, one hit by pitch and two home runs.

The Blue Jays turned to the 26-year-old right-hander to take Sunday’s start with Yariel Rodriguez and Bowden Francis on the injured list.

After starting the season on the injured list himself, Manoah’s rehab window was scheduled to end Monday, forcing to Blue Jays to either add him to the major-league roster or option him to the minor leagues.

A Cy Young finalist in 2022, Manoah struggled through his first four minor-league starts before appearing to turn a corner on Thursday with triple-A Buffalo. He tied his career high in for strikeouts in his pro career, punching out 12 over six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates triple-A affiliate.

But Sunday, he showed command issues early, issuing two free passes and a single in the first inning, allowing a leadoff error by Bo Bichette to score. However, he did strike out three in the inning showing some of his vintage swing-and-miss stuff.

Manoah generated eight total whiffs in the game, throwing 34 sinkers, 32 sliders, 21 four-seam fastballs and one changeup. He topped out at 96.5 m.p.h with his sinker while averaging 94.3 with the pitch.

After a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grand slam helped Toronto take a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the third, the Nationals rallied behind singles from Eddie Rosario, Luis Garcia Jr. and Nick Senzel, a walk by Jacob Young and Winker’s home run to take the lead after four.

The Blue Jays did answer with two runs of their own in the top of the fifth to take Manoah off the hook for the loss, before turning to Nate Pearson in the bottom half of the inning.

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