Blue Jays Announce Starters in Pivotal Three-Game Series Against Tigers
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After dropping the first game of a three-game weekend series at home to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, the Toronto Blue Jays bounced-back to win the final two games and win the series. In the process, they finished the weekend right where they began in the American League wild-card race, one game behind the Cleveland Guardians.
Each team has 12 games remaining in the regular season, but there is a catch. The Guardians are just a half-game behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central. That is rather significant, as Toronto holds the tiebreaker at the end of the season if tied with Cleveland for the final wild-card spot, but not Chicago. If that comes into play, that's huge.
Toronto will have a quick turnaround following the Baltimore series and host the Detroit Tigers for a three-game series beginning on Monday night. Manager John Schneider has announced the starters for two of the three games in what is a huge series in the middle of September.
Blue Jays Announce Probable Pitchers Against Tigers
Detroit is not the same team that began the season. They are nine games under .500 and have traded away pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. At this point, they are six games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. Here are the pitching matchups for the series.
Monday: Troy Melton (8-4, 2.42 ERA) vs. José Soriano (12-7, 3.48 ERA), 7:07 p.m.
Tuesday: Drew Anderson (4-6, 3.80 ERA) vs. TBD, 7:07 p.m.
Wednesday: TBD vs. Max Scherzer (2-8, 6.38 ERA), 3:07 p.m.
In seven games since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels, Soriano has been good for Schneider. He's 3-1 in seven starts with a 4.05 ERA. In September, the Blue Jays have won both of his starts against the Guardians and the Athletics. He allowed seven hits and three runs to the Tigers over five innings with the Angels back in May.
Toronto has not named a starter for Tuesday's game, but veteran Max Scherzer is scheduled to pitch the series finale on Wednesday in what could be considered his biggest start of the season. He was roughed up for six runs on seven hits in five innings on Friday night against the Orioles. A big bounce-back start is needed.
While Toronto is hosting Detroit, the Guardians and White Sox begin a pivotal three-game series in Cleveland that could have major ramifications in the postseason race. One game back with 12 plays for the final playoff berth in the American League, is a position that Toronto would have signed up for earlier this season when they were buried in the standings. All you need is a chance and Schneider and his team have it.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.