The Toronto Blue Jays carry a three-game win streak into Anaheim for the final three games of their season-opening 10-game road swing.
Friday will mark the home opener for the Los Angeles Angels, who used Shohei Ohtani as their starter for a 4-3 win in Seattle on Wednesday and thus will not have him on the mound this series.
All eyes are on the Japanese star this year with Ohtani being eligible for free agency after the season.
The Blue Jays already spoiled the St. Louis Cardinals’ home opener, on Opening Day, and will look to do the same thing to the Angels on Friday.
Here’s a look at the series.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, 9:38 p.m. ET / 6:38 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Chris Bassitt (0-1, 24.30 ERA) vs. L.A. LHP Patrick Sandoval (1-0, 1.80 ERA), Sportsnet / SN NOW
Saturday, 9:07 p.m. ET / 6:07 p.m. PT: Toronto RHP Jose Berrios (0-1, 12.71 ERA) vs. LHP Tyler Anderson (1-0, 0.00 ERA), Sportsnet ONE / SN NOW
Sunday, 4:07 p.m. ET / 1:07 p.m. PT: Toronto LHP Yusei Kikuchi (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. LHP Reid Detmers (0-0, 3.86 ERA), Sportsnet / SN NOW
Father and Son Bonding
The Angels announced that Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, father of Jays star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will throw out the honorary first pitch before Friday’s game.
Guerrero was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. The outfielder had a career batting average of .318 and hit 449 home runs over 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Angels, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
Latest on the Blue Jays
After a rocky start, the Blue Jays (4-3) played much better baseball the last three days to ease the nerves of their fan base.
Ace Alek Manoah bounced back Wednesday (seven innings, one hit, zero runs) for the win after a rocky start in the season opener and Kevin Gausman (six innings, four hits, zero runs) delivered his second strong performance in as many outings on Thursday for a 6-3 win in the series finale.
Offensively, Matt Chapman (.481/.517/.704) is off to a strong start and Guerrero Jr. has hit home runs in back-to-back games. The first baseman also has two three-hit games in a row.
Newcomer Daulton Varsho (.357/.406/.571) also is providing strong work at the plate and in the outfield.
There was a hiccup on Thursday as Trevor Richards and Tim Mayza failed to lock things down with a 6-0 lead in the eighth inning, but Yimi Garcia and Adam Cimber finished things off for the victory.
Now, the Blue Jays will look for much-improved starts from Bassitt and Berrios after they both were lit up in their season debuts.
Latest on the Angels
The Angels (4-2) are off to a nice start, winning a pair of divisional road series against the Oakland A’s and Mariners.
Ohtani, who threw an MLB season-high 111 pitches, struck out eight in six innings for the win on Wednesday and picked up an RBI single in a 4-3 decision.
The 2021, AL MVP also reached base for the 29th game in a row.
However, Ohtani was called for a pitch-clock violation on the mound and at the plate, something to watch going forward.
Mike Trout, the Angels’ other star, is looking good at the plate, slashing .368/.571/.632 with one homer and three RBI.
The Angels haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and haven’t made the playoffs since 2014.
Jays vs. Lefties
The Blue Jays get three left-handed starters this series – they are 1-1 against lefty starters this season.
The sample size is small, but the Jays are 19th in OPS (.704) against lefties this season.
Anderson was a big signing for the Angels, crossing town for a three-year, $39-million deal after spending last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA.
Familiar Faces
Former Blue Jays infielder Brandon Drury signed a two-year, $17-million deal with the Angels in the off-season. The Blue Jays acquired Drury in a deal with the New York Yankees for starter J.A. Happ in July 2018, but he struggled for much of his time with Toronto and was eventually outrighted. He has now been a member of eight MLB organizations.
Also on the Angels are former Blue Jays situational lefty Aaron Loup and righty reliever Ryan Tepera, both members of Toronto’s 2015 and ’16 playoff teams. Loup suffered the loss in the Angels’ season opener, unable to hold a lead after a strong start by Ohtani.
Angels infielder Gio Urshela played 19 games for the Blue Jays in 2018.
2022 Season Series
The 2022 season series between the teams was a weird one, with the Blue Jays sweeping a four-game series in Anaheim in May and the Angels taking all three in Toronto in August.
Up Next
After an off day, the Blue Jays play their home opener at the renovated Rogers Centre on Tuesday night against the Detroit Tigers, starting a three-game series.