Another Rush-Job, Baby (Toronto Blue Jays (65-55) vs. Boston Red Sox (60-62))
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TRANSACTIONS
Tim Mayza, who amidst the chaos of the last couple weeks I completely forgot had dislocated his shoulder, has been activated from the Injured List, slotting back into the bullpen, ensuring that Yusei Kikuchi is no longer the only lefty in the relief corps.
Going down to Buffalo is Zach Pop, which is somewhat surprising given how decent he’s been since coming over from Miami, but upon reflection, it makes sense. While Trevor Richards hasn’t exactly endeared himself to fans overall this season, but despite being a three-true-outcomes type of guy, he’s actually been quite good since coming back from the IL in early July (2.41 ERA), lowering his home run rate albeit while walking too many batters.
While you could make a very convincing argument that Pop os a better pitcher, he also has options, while Richards does not. The Jays would risk losing Richards for nothing if they were to try to send him down, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’d prefer to keep as much layers between the Major Leagues and Trent Thornton as possible, thank you very much.
SCOREBOARD WATCHING
After taking three of four games from the Royals, obviously, the Rays have won the first of their four-game series against the Angels in Tampa Bay. In other AL East news, the Orioles stayed in the hunt for a Wild Card spot after taking two of three from the Red Sox, with the added benefit of further burying Boston, who are now six games back of a playoff spot. Next, they’ll play a three game series against the Chicago White Sox, who have continued to limp along, splitting two games with the Cleveland Guardians in a rain-shortened series, and losing a make-up game with the Royals. Their division rivals, the Minnesota Twins, took a hit, not only dropping three of four with the Texas Rangers before heading to Houston, but also seeing Byron Buxton leave Mondays’s game early with a hip injury.
On the other side of the continent, the Mariners demolished the lowly Oakland A’s 10-2 on Friday, but proceeded to drop the next two games. They’ll have another chance to rally back with a two-game series of the Washington Nationals coming up.
BEST BIRDS
Hitter: Whit Merrifield (1)
Honourable Mentions: Alejandro Kirk, Teoscar Hernández
Pitcher: Kevin Gausman (9)
Honourable Mentions: José Berríos, Yimi García, Jordan Romano, Alek Manoah
Best Bird Standings:
Hitters:
Matt Chapman- 7
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.- 5
Santiago Espinal- 4
Teoscar Hernández- 4
George Springer- 4
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.- 3
Alejandro Kirk- 3
Bo Bichette- 3
Danny Jansen- 2
Whit Merrifield- 1
Cavan Biggio- 1
Zack Collins - 1
Pitchers:
Alek Manoah- 14
Kevin Gausman- 9
Ross Stripling- 4
José Berríos- 4
Yusei Kikuchi- 4
Anthony Bass- 2
David Phelps- 1
Jordan Romano- 1
SCHEDULE/PROBABLE PITCHERS
Tuesday, August 23 (7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST)
Ross Stripling (2.93 ERA, 2.87 FIP, 20.9 K%, 4.2 BB%)
Josh Winckowski (5.19 ERA, 5.21 FIP, 13.5 K%, 7.9 BB%)
Wednesday, August 24 (7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST)
José Berríos (5.39 ERA, 4.88 FIP, 20.9 K%, 5.7 BB%)
Rich Hill (4.68 ERA, 4.30 FIP, 18.0 K%, 6.9 BB%)
Thursday, August 25 (7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST)
Kevin Gausman (2.99 ERA, 2.05 FIP, 27.7 K%, 4.1 BB%)
Kutter Crawford (5.14 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 23.2 K%, 8.0 BB%)
THE OPPOSITION
Pythagorean Record: 57-65
Season Series vs. Blue Jays: 3-10
Record since the last series vs. Blue Jays: 12-14
Last 10 games: 6-4
Best (Healthy) Players in this Series:
Rafael Devers, Third Base, .295/.352/.555, 149 wRC+
Xander Bogaerts, Shortstop, .299/.370/.441, 128 wRC+
Garrett Whitlock, Relief Pitcher, 3.03 ERA, 3.04 FIP, 25.7 K%, 4.8 BB%
John Schreiber, Relief Pitcher, 2.39 ERA, 2.20 FIP, 30.4 K%, 5.8 BB%
Alex Verdugo, Outfield, .282/.327/.396, 101 wRC+