First pitch is 4:05 PM ET and the Blue Jays send Trey Yesavage (2-2, 2.25 ERA) at Brandon Young (3-1, 3.47). Yesavage hasn't given up a home run all year and Baltimore is the one trying to stop the bleeding after dropping the first two of this set.
The Jays got here the hard way — 2-1 on Thursday, then a 6-5 grinder Friday night. They're 29-29 and finally look like a team that can win the close ones again, which is a switch from how April went. Baltimore, meanwhile, was rolling through the Rays last weekend (winning by a combined 26-10 over three) and then ran into a buzzsaw the second Toronto showed up.
Yesavage is the story here. The rookie's ERA reflects a guy who's been borderline untouchable when healthy, and the only blemish on the ledger is a 5-ER outing in Miami last Sunday where he still went 6.2 with 6 punchouts. He's in the AL Rookie of the Year mix and Baltimore's lineup — minus Mountcastle, Westburg, and Beavers — isn't exactly built to crack a kid with a 1.06 WHIP.
Young's been quietly excellent in his own right. The Orioles have won his last 4 starts and he tossed 6.2 scoreless against Detroit his last time out. He's the kind of arm Baltimore is going to need to keep leaning on with Kremer, Povich, and Eflin all on the shelf — the rotation injury list is a horror show.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart C — no
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager RP — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Day-To-DayCJ Stubbs C — The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
- Day-To-DayJaven Coleman P — no
- 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa 2B — Sosa went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI on Saturday against the Twins in an 11-4 victory.
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Barger (elbow) will resume throwing "probably [Thursday]," Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILDylan Cease SP — Cease (hamstring) is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend, Ian Quillen of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJoe Mantiply RP — Mantiply will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair some damage in his left knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Day-To-DayLevi Wells P — Wells underwent successful core-muscle surgery Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- Day-To-DayRichard Guasch SP — no
- Day-To-DayWill Robertson LF — The Orioles reassigned Robertson to minor-league camp Wednesday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayLuis Vazquez SS — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Vazquez has been diagnosed with a broken right thumb, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILDylan Beavers RF — Beavers (oblique) hit in the batting cage Wednesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILCade Povich SP — Povich (elbow) met with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday and is without an official timetable for his return after receiving a cortisone injection, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Helsley (elbow) played catch Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDean Kremer SP — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Monday that Kremer (quadriceps) has begun a throwing program, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Books have Toronto at -122 with the total sitting at 7.5 on Pinnacle (DK has it up at 9.5, which is a wild gap and probably tells you which side the sharps are on). If you trust Yesavage's strikeout stuff against a banged-up Orioles lineup, the under and the Jays moneyline are pointing the same direction. Baltimore needs Young to match zeros and hope the bullpen doesn't cough up another late lead like Friday.
A Toronto sweep would put them above .500 and stretch the road streak to 5. An Orioles win salvages the series and keeps Young's mini-run alive. Either way, the rotation matchup is the best one on the board today.