After dropping a road series to the AL East division-leading Baltimore Orioles, the Toronto Blue Jays will be looking for better results—and an offensive spark—when they return home for a series with the Oakland Athletics this weekend.
Both teams currently sit second in their respective divisions, though the A’s are riding high right now in the West: They swept the Yankees at Yankee stadium, thanks largely to their strong pitching staff.
Looking for a spark at home
Through 17 games, Blue Jays hitters lead the league in strikeouts with 164. With the right balance of power that might not be cause for concern, but the Jays have also watched their league-wide ranking for extra-base hits drop from first at the end of 2015 to sixteenth through their first five series.
If last year’s performance hints at an upswing to come, returning to the Rogers Centre could give Toronto the boost they need: Their team OPS at home last year was an impressive 0.836, giving them plenty of room for improvement over this year’s mark of 0.723.
Starting strong
If team hitting hasn’t lived up to last year’s mark, starting pitching is a different story. Series starters Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ both bring ERAs below 2.00 into their matchups with Oakland, and Marcus Stroman starts Sunday having already notched three wins on the year.
Happ is particularly well prepared for his meeting with Oakland after spending most of last season in the AL West pitching for Seattle. Happ started three games against the A’s last year, and the Mariners won all three.
LISTEN: Talking Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman on the At the Letters podcast
Familiar faces
The Blue Jays and A’s have swapped a number of players in recent years, so this series will be a chance for old teammates to face off as foes. Josh Donaldson already met Oakland in a Blue Jays uniform last season, but this will be the first time the 30-year-old faces his old team since he won the AL MVP award (though possibly he’s equally proud of the life-sized “Bringer of Rain” bobblehead the Blue Jays unveiled this week).
Reliever Jesse Chavez—who’s in his second stint with Toronto—spent the last four seasons with the A’s and could see some innings against his old team. He’s been suffering from a sore back but is expected to return to the mound soon.
Switch pitcher Pat Venditte, Chavez’s teammate in the bullpen, was also with Oakland in 2015. Venditte appeared in 26 games for the A’s last season before being claimed off waivers by Toronto.
Former Blue Jay Danny Valencia—who was a fan favourite in his time with the club—sadly won’t be taking the field at Rogers Centre. The 31-year-old is headed to the disabled list with a left hamstring strain.
Pitching overtime
Going into Friday’s game against the Jays, Oakland’s relief staff has pitched more innings than any other team in the AL. While the bullpen has been solid, earning an ERA of 2.53 across 57 innings, the A’s will want their starters to take them deeper into games against Toronto’s struggling offence.
Last year, Blue Jays hitters were dominant against left-handed pitching, so southpaw Eric Surkamp—bringing a career ERA of 5.90 into his start on Sunday—could struggle to keep Bob Melvin’s hand off the phone to the bullpen. If Toronto can chase Sonny Gray or Chris Bassitt out of the game early on Friday or Saturday, it could spell trouble for Oakland’s taxed relievers.
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Road warriors
With the series sweep at Yankee Stadium, Oakland brought their road record to a perfect 6-0 on the season following an earlier sweep of the Mariners.
The Blue Jays—currently 3-3 at home—will look to replicate last year’s successes against the Athletics. In a season series that saw the Jays notch wins in five of six encounters with the A’s, Toronto went 3-0 at home, outscoring Oakland 18-7.
