After a disappointing series loss to the Kansas City Royals, the Blue Jays sit a game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first in the AL East.
The Jays will look to get back to their winning ways, back home for a three-game stand against the downtrodden Tampa Bay Rays.
Monday, August 8 — 7:07 pm ET
R.A. Dickey vs. Jake Odorizzi
Tuesday, August 9 — 7:07 pm ET
Marco Estrada vs. Drew Smyly
Wednesday, August 10 — 7:07 pm ET
J.A. Happ vs. Blake Snell
No easy way out
The Jays are coming off a difficult week at the plate, hitting just .193 with 84 strikeouts against the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals. Given the Jays’ track record on offence, it’d be a touch reactionary to start worrying about whether they’ll remember how to hit the ball.
That said, facing Jake Odorizzi in Monday night’s opener against the Rays isn’t the ideal way for Toronto’s lineup to work itself out of this slump. Odorizzi is coming off three consecutive starts in which he didn’t give up a run. In fact, he hasn’t given one up since July 17.
Last, but not least
Despite sitting at the bottom of the AL East, the Rays have been anything but a doormat for the Jays. They’ve won six of 10 meetings between the two teams this season. The last time they met, back in May, the Rays swept the three-game series. Tampa Bay scored 31 runs in those three games, which is a franchise record in a three-game series.
In the dinger-friendly Rogers Centre, the Rays will look to inflict similar damage on their divisional foes. Evan Longoria has hit 25 so far this season, while shortstop Brad Miller has slugged 20. Outside of homers, though, Tampa has had a hard time scoring runs. They have the American League’s lowest batting average and second-lowest on-base percentage. They also have the second-most strikeouts in the AL, with 993—just slightly ahead of the Blue Jays, who have 952.
Follow the leader
Devon Travis was one of the only positives in the Jays’ lineup last week. He led off Friday’s game against the Royals with a home run, and followed that up with a game-winning jack in the top of the ninth. The second baseman is hitting .350 over the last month. And speaking of averages, he has a.400 mark against Odorizzi. While not a prototypical lead-off man, Travis has earned his spot atop the Jays’ lineup and they’ll be looking to him once again to spark some much-needed offence.
Troubles with the 6?
Adding the newly acquired Francisco Liriano to the mix, the Jays now have a six-man rotation. While it offers the starters some extra rest in what they hope will be an extended season, there are concerns that the extra time-off might negatively affect pitchers used to less rest. This series will be the first glimpse at how it all plays out.
On Monday night, R.A. Dickey gets his turn in the Jays’ experiment. Although coming off a spectacular 2–1 win against Houston last week, he’s struggled at home. He’s 2-8 with a 5.40 ERA at Rogers Centre, where he’s given up 15 home runs. Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ—both having career seasons—get the call on Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively.
Pillar-less
The Jays placed centrefielder Kevin Pillar on the 15-day disabled list with a left thumb sprain. Pillar’s 2.6 wins above replacement this season are tied with Edwin Encarnacion for second best on the Jays this season (behind only Josh Donaldson, who has 6.2).
With Pillar out, we’ll likely see more of Melvin Upton Jr. for the next little while. And though he’s a fine defensive replacement in center, Upton has yet to do anything at the plate, beyond missing the ball. In the 11 games since he joined the Jays, Upton has one walk and 14 strikeouts. He’s hitting .125 with an ugly .277 OPS.
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