Series Preview: SF Giants at Blue Jays - full details and breakdown
The SF Giants have become, in the blink of an eye, one of baseball's hottest teams. A youth movement led by players like Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos, Casey Schmitt, and Ryan Walker has revitalized a slumping Giants team and pushed them through one of the toughest gauntlets of the season. A 10-game stretch against division rivals that could have sunk the team instead saw the G-Men play with their hair on fire, going 8-2 against the Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks.
Now, the Giants face a foe from the fearsome AL East, where the Toronto Blue Jays are in fourth place despite being seven games over .500. The Jays have little margin for error ahead of the trade deadline, just barely hanging onto the final wild card ahead of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels (of LA). Led by shortstop Bo Bichette and first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr., Toronto will host plenty of star power when the Giants come to visit.
But the Blue Jays will also have a fair amount of familiar faces for fans of the orange and black. The Brandons are back in town, as 1B-turned-DH Brandon Belt will face off against his former squad for the first time. Ace pitcher Kevin Gausman - often lamented in San Francisco as "the one who got away" - will likely take his turn against his former team in the midst of another excellent season, boasting a 3.10 ERA while leading Toronto in innings. We may even see a bit of backup catcher Tyler Heineman, whose 15 games with the Giants in 2020 will surely never be forgotten.
While this bout with Toronto won't be easy, the Giants have done some of their best work against strong teams this year. The Giants are 24-17 against teams over .500, a mark that trails only Atlanta and Tampa Bay. San Francisco has also been white-hot on the road lately, winning their last nine straight road games, and 14 of their last 16. It's no surprise, then, that the Giants have won four series in a row, tied for their current season high. They can set a new mark if they take two of three in Canada against their interleague foes.
Can the Giants, with their different-hero-every-night approach, muster up enough grit to keep snatching victory from the jaws of defeat? Or will Toronto, amidst an epic divisional fight of their own, have enough star power to fend off the Giants' seemingly endless waves of reserves? We've got you covered with all the details of this mid-week matchup in the Great White North.
Series Details
Who: SF Giants at Toronto Blue Jays
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
When: June 27-29, Tuesday - Thursday (all 4:07 PM). All times Pacific.
Giants' current streak: L1, 8-2 in last 10. 44-34 overall, 2nd place in NL West (2.5 GB)
Blue Jays' current streak: W2, 5-5 in last 10. 46-36 overall, 4th place in AL East
Projected starters
Monday: Ryan Walker** (2-0, 1.89 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (7-3, 3.10 ERA)
Tuesday: Logan Webb (7-6, 3.16 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.23 ERA)
Wednesday: TBD vs. TBD
*Indicates LHP
**Indicates opener
How to watch, listen
- SF Giants broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 680/1510 AM
- Jays broadcast: SportsNet/TVA Sports, SN950/sportsnet.ca, SN NOW app
- National broadcasts: MLB Network (Thursday, out-of-market only)
