Blue Jays, Berrios look to pick up series sweep against Rangers

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berrios (17) works against the Houston Astros during first inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (Jon Blacker/CP)

As some players wait and see where they could end up ahead of the trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays look to pick up a series sweep against the Texas Rangers.

José Berríos will head to the mound looking to bounce back from a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, where he gave up three runs on three hits. Berríos is 2-1 with a 6.75 ERA in six career starts against Texas.

The right-hander has had an up-and-down season, going 8-8 with a 4.08 ERA and 92 strikeouts. His main issue has been keeping the ball in the ballpark, having allowed 22 home runs through 21 starts, including 13 in July alone.

Toronto has been busy ahead of the trade deadline, shipping out Yimi García, Nate Pearson and Danny Jansen within the last couple of days, and more could be on their way out. Among the players receiving interest include starter Yusei Kikuchi and relievers Chad Green and Trevor Richards.

The Rangers send Jon Gray out to the mound looking to avoid the sweep as they continue to struggle on the road with a 22-31 record. The Rangers are also 24-47 in games where they have given up a home run.

First pitch is scheduled for 1:30p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT with Blue Jays Central kicking things off at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.