Blue Jays at Orioles
As if the Baltimore Orioles don’t have enough home run hitters in the lineup, second baseman Jonathan Schoop is starting to show he could be another power source. Schoop looks to homer for the third straight contest as the Orioles go after their second consecutive series victory when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Schoop belted his first career grand slam to back the strong pitching of Ubaldo Jimenez in a 7-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday night as both teams moved to 3-2. Drew Hutchison gets the job of trying to cool off the Orioles, who have nine homers to lead the majors, while Chris Tillman will also attempt to start 2-0. Jose Reyes (7-of-19) and Edwin Encarnacion (12 total bases) are off to strong starts while free-agent acquisition Russell Martin has one hit in 13 at-bats for Toronto. The Blue Jays welcomed Jose Bautista (3-of-18 overall) back into the lineup Saturday after he left Friday’s 12-5 victory with leg cramps.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, SNET (Toronto), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Drew Hutchison (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (1-0, 1.35)
Hutchison looks to avoid a repeat of last year when he won his opener before going seven straight starts without another victory. The 24-year-old Lakeland, Fla. native, who owns a 4.44 ERA in 44 career games, gave up one run in six innings to beat the New York Yankees in the season opener Monday. Hutchison struck out 184 in 184 2/3 innings overall last season and went 3-1, including a win in his last start, with a 2.54 ERA in six outings against the Orioles in 2014.
Tillman has warmed to the role as ace of the staff by going 6-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 14 regular-season turns after the 2014 All-Star break, winning a playoff game and beating Tampa Bay in his 2015 opener. The former second-round pick won 29 regular-season games combined over the previous two seasons before limiting the Rays to one run on four hits over 6 2/3 innings Monday. Bautista is 8-of-28 with two homers versus Tillman, who went 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA against the Blue Jays last year – 4-6 and 4.12 all-time.
WALK OFFS
1. Six of Schoop’s 19 career home runs have come against the Blue Jays and the Orioles are 16-2 when he has gone deep in his career.
2. Toronto rookie 2B Devon Travis is 5-of-16 to start his career and leads the team with a .421 on-base percentage.
3. Baltimore OF Travis Snider has reached base in 11 of his 20 plate appearances to open the season with six hits and five walks.