The Toronto Blue Jays have showcased their depth late in the season, and it goes beyond the pitching.
Though the pitching has been one of the brightest spots for the playoff-bound Blue Jays, who secured the American League’s top wild-card position after the Seattle Mariners fell to the Detroit Tigers Monday night.
Toronto’s next assignment comes Tuesday night against the host Baltimore Orioles.
The Blue Jays (91-69) are riding a four-game winning streak. They’ve tapped into all sorts of resources.
“To have the depth that we do I think speaks volumes,” Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider said.
Toronto has won seven of its last nine games, allowing no more than three runs in each of those victories.
It doesn’t look as if Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will be ready before the end of the regular season as he deals with a hamstring injury. He’ll get in some pregame work Tuesday to see how it feels.
“The main thing here is for me to be ready for the playoffs,” Gurriel said.
The Orioles (82-78) are hoping to add another highlight or two to what has looked like a breakthrough season. However, they are in the midst of a dismal stretch, tallying seven losses in their last 10 games.
“The last home series of the year is always special, and you get to thank your fans for the way they support us this year, home and away,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “We had a lot of road fans this year, which was super cool, and we appreciate it so much.”
Catcher Adley Rutschman was named the Most Valuable Oriole on Monday, a rare honor for a rookie. He became the third rookie to receive that distinction as voted on by media covering the team. He joined the team thanks to a May 21 promotion.
“Once Adley got here we started playing better,” Hyde said.
The Orioles are without closer Felix Bautista for this final series after Hyde announced that he was going on the injured list with an ailing left knee. He notched 15 saves, becoming the closer after the trade-deadline deal that sent Jorge Lopez to the Minnesota Twins.
“We ran out of time with him,” Hyde said of why it was best to have Bautista sit out the rest of the season. Hyde said the injury shouldn’t be a long-term issue.
Toronto leads the season series versus the Orioles 9-8 with two games to play. That included Monday night’s series opener, a 5-1 win for the Blue Jays in a game that ended in the top of the eighth inning because of inclement weather.
The Blue Jays will try to get it done again with right-hander Mitch White (1-6, 5.21 ERA). He was the losing pitcher in a Sept. 6 game against Baltimore, surrendering five runs in 2 1/3 innings in his only career meeting with the Orioles.
The Orioles go with right-hander Mike Baumann (1-3, 4.34) as their starting pitcher. This will be his 17th appearance in the major leagues across parts of two seasons. It’s the fourth time he’ll take on Toronto and he’s 0-1 in the three prior appearances, one start, with an 8.10 ERA. Last month he faced the Blue Jays twice, taking a loss while giving up three runs in five innings followed by a no-decision after two shutout innings in relief.
–Field Level Media
