Cecil Becomes 1st Relief Pitcher to Lose 5 Games in April

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brett Cecil recently became the first player in MLB history to be credited with five losses as a relief pitcher during the month of April, per Elias Sports Bureau (h/t ESPN.com).

The last reliever to lose five games in any single calendar month was former Oakland Athletics pitcher Brian Fuentes, who did so in May 2011.

Cecil finished April with an 0-5 record and 5.79 ERA, leading the majors in losses while sitting in a four-way tie atop the leaderboard for most blown saves (three).

Despite the early struggles, Cecil does have some positive numbers, as he's allowed just one home run (46 batters faced) and is tied for 14th in the majors with five holds.

Although he's an easy target for blame, the 29-year-old lefty hasn't been the only problem for Toronto this season. Fellow setup man Drew Storen has surrendered nine earned runs in eight innings, and designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki are both off to notably slow starts at the plate.

Meanwhile, the team's supposed ace, Marcus Stroman, only has a 3.77 ERA even after holding the Tampa Bay Rays to one run over eight innings in Sunday's 5-1 win.

A popular choice to win the American League pennant, the Blue Jays are tied with the Rays for third place in the AL East (three games back), with an alarming minus-two run differential 26 games into the season.