Series Preview: Toronto Blue Jays (16-14) vs. Houston Astros (16-15)
The Banana Gun was key to it all. I will not be convinced otherwise.
Before we talk a little bit about George Springer’s homecoming series in Houston, humour me as I- aw, fuck.
Before we talk about the upcoming series in Houston, humour me as I plead for engagement. If you like that JAYSLAM is here, providing fresh Jay-related #content multiple times a week, consider sharing this post with a pal who may be interested! Or one who’s not! Whatever!
Likewise, if you’ve been enjoying Jayslam, want to see more of it, or want to support its continued existence, consider getting a paid subscription! Free subscriptions are greatly appreciated as well, but paid ones get you access to exclusive posts such as the post on rule changes, as well as to the comments section.
BEST BIRDS
Hitter: Marcus Semien (2) 19 plate appearances, .412/.474/.706, 229 wRC+, 0.12 Win Probability Added
I’m a simple man. You give me a fan favourite player getting lowballed by his hometown team and their chintzy shithead owner coming back as a visiting player and socking a dinger, and I will give them my made-up award.
Honourable Mentions: Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernández
Pitcher: Robbie Ray (3) 6 innings, 24 batters faced, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks (!!!!!!!!!), 4.43 FIP, 51 Game Score v2, -0.47 Win Probability Added
Robbie Ray has won Best Bird each of the last three times he’s pitched. He hasn’t walked somebody in any of those starts, which continues to be absolutely wild.
Without a ton of clear candidates for honourable mentions, I threw one Hyun Jin Ryu’s way, as he gutted out five innings on Thursday despite lacking his best stuff. I shrugged and threw another one Trent Thornton’s way, who threw a solid handful of innings on Tuesday, shutting down the A’s and providing an opportunity for the Jays to catch up, which they stubbornly refused to take.
Honourable Mentions: Hyun Jin Ryu, Trent Thornton
Best Bird Standings
Hitters:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 3
Marcus Semien- 2
Bo Bichette- 2
Randal Grichuk- 2
George Springer- 1
Pitchers:
Robbie Ray- 3
Steven Matz- 2
Julian Merryweather- 2
Anthony Castro- 1
Ryan Borucki- 1
Hyun Jin Ryu- 1
SCHEDULE/PROBABLE PITCHERS
Friday, May 7 (8 p.m. EST/6 p.m. MST): Ross Stripling vs. José Urquidy
Stripling: Three starts, 12 ⅔ innings, 6.39 ERA/5.37 xERA/4.36 xFIP, 23.3 K%, 6.7 BB%, .282 xBA Against, 40.5 HardHit%
Urquidy: Six starts, 34 innings, 3.71 ERA/3.72 xERA/4.91 xFIP, 19.4 K%, 5.8 BB%, .242 xBA Against, 33 HardHit%
Saturday, May 8 (7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST): Steven Matz vs. Cristian Javier
Matz: Six starts, 32 innings, 4.78 ERA/4.02 xERA/3.98 xFIP, 24.4 K%, 7.4 BB%, .248 xBA Against, 37.1 HardHit%
Javier: Five starts, 25 ⅔ innings, 1.75 ERA/3.40 xERA/4.05 xFIP, 30 K%, 8 BB%, .218 xBA Against, 42.4 HardHit%
Sunday, May 9 (2 p.m. EST/12 p.m. MST): Anthony Kay (presumptive) vs. Zack Greinke
Kay: Two starts, 7 ⅓ innings, 9.82 ERA/2.73 xERA/3.87 xFIP, 20.6 K%, 5.9 BB%, .225 xBA Against, 25 HardHit%
Greinke: Seven starts, 40 ⅔ innings, 3.76 ERA/3.47 xERA/4.26 xFIP, 18.8 K%, 6.1 BB%, .250 xBA Against, 29.3 HardHit%
THE OPPOSITION
Pythagorean Record: 18-13
Run differential: +28 (151 Runs Scored, 123 Runs Allowed)
Last 10 Games: 6-4
It was probably wishful thinking to hope that the Astros’ regular season struggles in 2020 were for real. It was definitely looking that way when they were one win away from heading to their third World Series in four seasons. And it’s even more so looking that way in the early going this year. Their middle-of-the-pack pitching (depleted by injuries to Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez) has been buoyed by one of the best offences in baseball, spearheaded by Yuli “The Lesser Gurriel Brother” Gurriel and Yordan Álvarez, who have both been some of the best hitters in the game. The other positions players (at least those not named José Altuve, Kyle Tucker, or Myles Straw) have also been great contributors.
Their offence is terrifying! Their pitching is much less intimidating though, beyond some solid starting pitchers in Zack Greinke, Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers, José Urquidy and Luis García and a solid back of the bullpen, helmed by Ryan Pressly, Ryne Stanek, Brooks Raley, and newly called-up Kent Emmanuel. Jake Odorizzi hasn’t looked great and is currently on the IL, and the rest of the bullpen has been a bit of a soft underbelly.
Best Players Thus Far:
Yuli Gurriel, First Base, .318/.405/.519, 166 wRC+,
Yordan Álvarez, Designated Hitter, .412/.524/.588, 176 wRC+
Cristian Javier, Starting Pitcher, 1.75 ERA/3.40 xERA, 30 K%, 8 BB%
Michael Brantley, Left Field/Blue Jays Legend, .311/.342/.509, 144 wRC+
Carlos Correa, Shortstop, .254/.305/.415, 108 wRC+
Key Under-Performers
Kyle Tucker, Right Field, .179/.250/.349, 70 wRC+
José Altuve, Second Base, .256/.295/.372, 91 wRC+
Jake Odorizzi, Starting Pitcher, 10.13 ERA/4.41 xERA, 29.7 K%, 8.1 BB%
Former Blue Jays
Aledmys Díaz, Super Utility, .290/.353/.435, 131 wRC+
Joe Smith, Relief Pitcher, 7.45 ERA/5.58 xERA, 19.6 K%, 5.9 BB%