TORONTO — The Blue Jays overcame the injury of another starting pitcher on Friday as Drew Hutchinson left in the first inning of Toronto’s 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Hutchison became the third Toronto starter in five days to leave with an injury when he walked off the mound just nine pitches into the game. He was forced out by a sore right elbow.
Earlier Friday, an MRI revealed Blue Jays right-hander Kyle Drabek has a torn ligament in his elbow that may require surgery. Drabek left in the fifth inning Wednesday in Toronto’s 6-2 loss to Washington.
Right-hander Brandon Morrow left Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Nationals after just nine pitches with a strained oblique muscle in his left side, and is also on the 15-day DL.
Carlos Villanueva pitched four solid innings in relief for Hutchinson and earned the win for Toronto (32-32), which ended a three-game losing string.
Still, the Blue Jays have won only two of their past eight games.
The Phillies (31-35) had won two in a row before being held to five hits by six Blue Jays pitchers in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Casey Janssen pitched the ninth for his sixth save of the season.
Hutchison left his start after nine pitches with the count 2-1 on Hunter Pence and two out in the first inning with what was reported as soreness in his right elbow.
Left-hander Aaron Laffey replaced Hutchison and completed the walk, but worked out of the inning and also pitched the second.
Phillies right-hander Vance Worley (3-3) allowed five hits and three runs, one earned, in seven innings.
Villanueva (2-0) became the third Blue Jays pitcher of the game when he entered for the third inning. He overcame a double and a walk in the third and got better as his outing continued. He completed his four-inning stint by striking out the side in the sixth.
By that time the Blue Jays were leading 3-0.
They scored in the third on consecutive two-out doubles by Rajai Davis and Langley, B.C., native Brett Lawrie.
The Blue Jays added two unearned runs in the fourth. Jose Bautista led off with a single and scored from first when Philly third baseman Mike Fontenot threw the ball away going for the force out at second on a grounder by Edwin Encarnacion.
Encarnacion went to third on the play and scored on a ground out by Yunel Escobar.
The Phillies threatened to score in the eighth against left-hander Darren Oliver with runners at second and third, but Brian Schneider took a called third strike to end the inning.