Blue Jays beat Royals 9-2, pull to 1 game back in wild card race
Toronto beat Kansas City 9-2 to finish 4-1 over its last 5 games, putting the Blue Jays a game out of the final AL wild card spot, but Jameson Taillon's likely trip to the injured list leaves the rotation thinner for the stretch run.
Keys lands his first Home Run Dragon
The Blue Jays beat the Royals 9-2 on the road September 4. Sean Keys went 1-for-1 with a home run and an RBI, and the club's own account marked it as Keys' first Home Run Dragon.
Royals9-2The win capped a stretch that also included a series win in Cleveland: Toronto opened that set with a 7-0 win over Seattle August 30, then lost 6-1 in the opener at Cleveland before winning the next two 11-0 and 6-3. At 71-71, the Blue Jays sit 1 game back of Cleveland for the last AL wild card spot, with an elimination number of 8.
Recent News
Jameson Taillon will undergo an MRI on his elbow Friday night and will likely be placed on the injured list Saturday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. It's another blow to a rotation already missing Shane Bieber, who remains without a timeline for his return from shoulder trouble; Bieber was scheduled to throw off flat ground Thursday, per Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.
There was better news in right field: Anthony Santander has been facing live pitching this week at the club's complex in Florida and could be ready for a rehab assignment as soon as next week, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.
Upcoming
The Blue Jays are in Kansas City tonight, with Max Scherzer (2-7, 6.16 ERA) opposing Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.03 ERA). Scherzer was sharp in his last outing, throwing 7 scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts against Seattle on August 30. Lugo's last start went the other way — 3.2 innings and 9 earned runs against Cleveland that same day.
Kansas City is favored at home, and the total points to a high-scoring game, a read that lines up more with Lugo's last outing than Scherzer's. If Toronto's bats keep pace with how they've hit over the last 5 games, that price looks less like a warning than an invitation.