Cal Quantrill (3-0, 3.73 ERA) draws the emergency start for Texas after Jack Leiter went under the knife this month for ankle surgery. Quantrill has worked almost entirely out of the Rangers' bullpen since mid-April — his lone spot start to fill in for Leiter on June 23 in Miami lasted 2 innings and 34 pitches. Dylan Cease (4-3, 2.75 ERA) is a different conversation entirely: one of the better strikeout pitchers in the AL, he overhauled his approach this year with a five-pitch arsenal and a ground ball rate north of 55%. First pitch is 3:07 PM ET at Rogers Centre.
Toronto's starting pitching has been a tire fire this week. Kevin Gausman got battered in the series opener Thursday — Joc Pederson, Wyatt Langford, and Jake Burger all went deep off him in a 6-5 Texas win. Patrick Corbin couldn't get an out before the Rangers were already scoring on Friday, extending his personal winless streak to 6 straight starts. The Blue Jays rallied from 5-0 down in the 8th when Vladdy Jr. singled in 2 and Kazuma Okamoto followed with a 2-run shot to cut it to 1, but Jacob Latz slammed the door for his 16th save. That's 2 losses by a combined 2 runs in their own building.
Texas has real momentum. Joc Pederson set a Rangers franchise record Thursday by hitting a leadoff homer off Gausman on the 11th pitch of the game — the longest at-bat for a Rangers leadoff home run since pitches have been tracked. Eovaldi backed him up Friday with 7 scoreless innings and 9 strikeouts. And the Rangers got Corey Seager back in the lineup June 25 after the two-time World Series MVP had been sidelined with a concussion since June 11. This is a more complete Texas team than it was 2 weeks ago.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Walcott (elbow) will begin to ramp up his activity soon and is still on track for a late-July or early-August return to a minor-league affiliate, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILEvan Carter CF — Carter (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment Friday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILCody Freeman 3B — The Rangers placed Freeman on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a herniated disc.
- 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen C — Jansen (forearm) was able to throw out to 60 feet Saturday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 15-Day-ILJack Leiter SP — Leiter underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his right ankle region Tuesday and should be considered out indefinitely, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJalen Beeks RP — Beeks (2-1) earned the win in relief Saturday against the Cubs after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out one with no hits or walks allowed.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right shoulder impingement.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery SP — Montgomery (elbow) allowed one hit and struck out a batter over a scoreless inning in a rehab start for Double-A Frisco on Sunday.
- Day-To-DayJesus Sanchez RF — Sanchez was removed from Friday's game against the Rangers with a sprained right ankle, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 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.
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Barger (elbow) will fly back to Toronto soon to be examined by the medical staff before potentially beginning a rehab assignment, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa 2B — Sosa (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with the Blue Jays' Arizona Complex League affiliate, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Scherzer SP — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Scherzer (back) will travel to Dallas on Friday to get a cortisone shot to "help alleviate some left side stuff," Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- developmental listFernando Perez P
- 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia RP — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Garcia (elbow) remains in a holding pattern due to neck and biceps nerve symptoms, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
The question Saturday is how long Quantrill lasts. He hasn't gone past 3.1 innings in any recent relief appearance, and his Leiter audition in Miami was over before he broke a sweat. With Leiter, Jordan Montgomery, and Cody Bradford all on the IL, Texas doesn't have a safety net if their starter gets chased. The Blue Jays know it and should make him work. Cease, meanwhile, has been Toronto's most reliable arm all season — he cut his slider usage, added a changeup, and built a pitch mix that generates ground balls and strikeouts. The Blue Jays need 6 innings from their ace, and this is the kind of matchup where he should deliver.