The Blue Jays’ playoff push hit a speed bump Thursday afternoon, as Toronto was shut out 7-0 by the Boston Red Sox and missed an opportunity to complete a four-game sweep. Still, the Jays have won 11 of their last 17 games, sit at 59-64 and are just two games back of the final AL Wild Card spot.
On game 124 preview of Flight Deck, Nick Alberga breaks down Toronto’s frustrating loss to Boston, where the offence managed just two hits against Payton Tolle over eight shutout innings. After showing signs of life throughout this recent run, are the Blue Jays’ offensive struggles becoming a concern again?
Max Scherzer gave Toronto a chance, allowing just one run over five innings while reaching another incredible career milestone by becoming the 139th pitcher in MLB history to reach 3,000 innings pitched. The game remained 1-0 until the eighth inning, when Caleb Durbin’s grand slam broke things open for Boston.
Despite the loss, Toronto still took three of four from a division rival and remains right in the middle of the Wild Card race. But the schedule is about to get even tougher, with six of the next nine games coming against the New York Yankees and a three-game set against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays sandwiched in between.
Looking ahead, Shane Bieber takes the mound as the Blue Jays open a massive three-game series against the Yankees. Bieber enters at 3-2 with a 5.48 ERA and has been much better at Rogers Centre this season, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.86 ERA across four home starts.
New York counters with Gerrit Cole, who enters at 6-5 with a 3.35 ERA and has been dominant lately, posting a 1.45 ERA while winning each of his last three starts. Cole has also historically given Toronto problems, going 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 18 career starts against the Blue Jays.
With both Toronto and New York coming off shutout losses, can the Blue Jays wake up the bats, solve Cole and keep their unlikely playoff push rolling against one of their biggest division rivals?
We finish with Nick’s picks presented by bet365.
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