Begrüßungen » Now tied for second in the league in shootout

TORONTO -- Josh Johnson doesnt have the answers. After another horrid start, the Toronto Blue Jays starter didnt know what he was doing wrong this season or in Saturdays 8-6 loss to the Houston Astros at Rogers Centre. "Ive just got to make better pitches," he said. "I made some OK pitches, but then I made some terrible ones as well." Johnson fell to 1-7 and saw his earned-run average rise to 6.08 as he gave up seven runs on seven hits, including three home runs. It was his third straight bad start and fifth consecutive loss in as many appearances. "Hes scuffling, thats an understatement," manager John Gibbons said. "Hes feeling it. I mean, hes human. You feel for the guy. And hes never struggled a whole lot in his career. Hes trying to settle in, hes trying to contribute, and it hasnt gone well for him. Its tough. Theres really nowhere to hide out there." Johnson tried to take a "different mind-set" onto the mound Saturday afternoon after lasting just two innings Monday. His pre-game bullpen session admittedly wasnt sharp, but the right-hander insisted he didnt think, "Here we go again" after surrendering back-to-back singles to start the game. "Sometimes that happens," Johnson said. "Seems like its happened a lot more with me, but its part of the game." When Astros designated hitter Chris Carter hit a three-run home run before Johnson recorded an out, it marked the sixth straight start in which he allowed multiple runs in the first inning a base runner got on. Pitching coach Pete Walker said he and his staff were "certainly aware" of that trend. But throwing from the stretch isnt Johnsons only problem, as Gibbons pointed out that he allowed solo home runs to Justin Maxwell and Matt Dominguez from the windup. Where Johnsons issues stem from could be mechanical or mental. More likely, its a combination of both, as the 29-year-old said his confidence is "not real high" right now. "They all go through those stretches where confidence becomes an issue," Gibbons said. "Youve got to deal with it. Thats part of this business. I know hes scrambling, hes got to be scrambling trying to figure it out because youll see him: Hell pitch some hitters good and then lose it and get hit pretty hard." Johnson tried to work on keeping his throwing motion more direct, driving down his right hip instead of falling off the mound toward first base. He consciously thought about it for all 5 2/3 innings Saturday. "Id do it for a couple pitches and then I wouldnt do it for a couple," Johnson said. "That inconsistency was still there a little bit." Consistency has been hard to find for the Blue Jays this season, and that goes beyond Johnsons struggles. They managed to put six runs on the board Saturday, finally getting to Astros starter Dallas Keuchel, but it wasnt enough. Keuchel, who lasted until Jose Bautistas three-run homer in the eighth, said the Blue Jays had as good a lineup as he has seen in the major leagues. Toronto showed it by out-hitting Houston, but the hole Johnson dug was too deep to get out of. "I think he just wants to compete, and he just wants to get some consistency in his game right now," Walker said. "The frustration is that he doesnt feel like hes giving this team a chance to win a game." As Johnson failed to do that for the fourth time in five starts, its time for more re-evaluation. Walker said its "back to the drawing board a little bit with him." From his vantage point, Johnson saw some positives. He finished with eight strikeouts and was able to last into the sixth inning to keep a tired bullpen fresh. But the negatives certainly outweighed the positives. "I just think they put some good swings on him," Gibbons said. "The balls not where hes trying to locate it, and then hes maybe up in the zone a little bit and they hit him." Johnson said he "threw some pretty good pitches." Because he didnt throw enough, he was left to lament another loss, but the coming days will mean more work to right his game. "Its a battle right now," Walker said. "And I know hes frustrated with the consistency, but were certainly not giving up on him by any stretch. I still think hes got plenty of stuff to get major-league hitters out. I think you saw it with the strikeouts today: At times hes very good. Hes going to continue to work at it, and I still believe in my heart that hes going to have some good games here." NOTES -- Astros second baseman Jose Altuve left the game with tightness in his left quadriceps muscle. He said he felt some tightness going from first to third, and manager Bo Porter indicated his removal was for precautionary reasons. ... 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The Buckeyes (9-3) went 3-1 over that stretch.Linnae Harper and Kelsey Mitchell added 15 points each, Shayla Cooper and Sierra Calhoun scored 13 each, Tori McCoy had 11 and Kiara Lewis 10.Ohio State never trailed, leed 70-27 at halftime and had its largest lead at 113-45 with 5:35 left in the fourth quarter.dddddddddddd The Buckeyes committed 24 turnovers but shot 52.6 percent from the field and 10 of 22 from 3-point range.Zomoria Clark had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets (1-7), who had 31 turnovers and shot 30.6 percent from the field. Daniele Ewert added 12 points. ' ' '