Toronto rolls in at 34-38 after dropping 2 of 3 to the Yankees at home, while Boston is 29-40 and just split the front end of a homestand against Texas. Chad Tracy's club, now 2 months into the interim era after Alex Cora got the boot following a 10-17 start, has been the more inconsistent group of the two — and that's saying something for a Toronto team that's been ice cold around Vlad Jr. The pitching matchup is the part everyone is squinting at. Toronto is reportedly lined up to give the ball to Chris Bassitt, and the Red Sox rotation behind him is held together with athletic tape. Garrett Crochet (lat/shoulder) already ruled out a pre-All-Star return, and Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, and Patrick Sandoval are all still on the 60-day shelf. Whoever Boston runs out there Thursday is doing it on a thin staff. The Blue Jays' issues are more about the lineup. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sat back-to-back games against the Yankees with a balky back — Schneider said he's targeted to return when the series in Boston starts Tuesday, but Vlad has been in a brutal funk (.184 with 0 homers across 10 June games before sitting). Andres Gimenez got scratched Sunday with left wrist soreness, Daulton Varsho is on the 10-day IL with his own wrist issue, and Addison Barger is still working back from an elbow injury. That is a lot of regulars to lose for a team trying to claw above .500. Boston's offense, meanwhile, is doing this without top prospect Roman Anthony, who's been out 40-plus days with a torn ligament in his right hand and per the Globe still has no timetable. Trevor Story (sports hernia) and Triston Casas (knee, ab) aren't walking through that door anytime soon either. Wilyer Abreu and Mickey Gasper carried the bats in the Texas series wins, but Gasper was scratched Sunday with groin tightness — another one to monitor for a thin position-player group. The vibe heading into Thursday's getaway-day game is two flawed teams trying to grab a series win before the schedule gets harder. Shane Bieber went 6 scoreless in his latest rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo and is being lined up for the Astros series next week, so this is the last Toronto rotation turn before the cavalry potentially shows up. For Boston, it's about Tracy stealing a series at home against a team beatable enough that they should be expected to win it. First pitch is 1:35 PM ET at Fenway. Day games in June with two lineups missing this many bats can get weird fast — the kind of spot where one bullpen breaking before the other decides the whole thing.