Blue Jays' Francis battling through 'lowest' stretch of career

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis credited his rotation mates for having his back during what's been a rough performance so far this season.

"Just the way they've had my back … (I'm) grinding.. (I'm) at my lowest," Francis said Saturday, according to Sportsnet's Hazel Mae.

Francis was looking sharp after three innings during Saturday's outing against the Philadelphia Phillies. However, things unraveled in the bottom of the fourth, and he was unable to get out of the inning. He finished the start with three walks, two runs, four strikeouts, and one hit across 3 2/3 innings.

"I think the three (innings) outweigh the four batters that got away," Francis said, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "I think there's a lot of positives we can take from that and continue to work."

Francis' ERA sits at 6.05 on the season, and his 19 home runs allowed are the second most in the league, ahead of only Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Zack Littell.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider isn't considering moving Francis out of the rotation or sending him down to Triple-A despite his struggles.

"I think we need him," Schneider said, per Matheson. "He's working his ass off with (pitching coach) Pete (Walker). I think he's going to take what he did before the walks in the fourth inning and build off of it."