Blue Jays at Indians
Toronto began its 10-game road trip in dismal fashion but has a
chance for a strong finish when it ends a four-game series at Cleveland
on Sunday. The Blue Jays dropped the first four games of the voyage
before claiming three of the next five, including an 11-4 rout of the
Indians on Saturday.
Russell Martin homered, Jose Bautista knocked in four runs and Devon Travis reached four times in his return from a collarbone injury. The top offense in baseball produced 14 hits against reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber and five Cleveland relievers. The Indians, meanwhile, fell to 3-8 at home and are in danger of losing a series for the sixth time in eight tries on the young season. Following Sunday, the teams will not meet again until Aug. 31.
TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, SNET-1, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Drew Hutchison (2-0, 6.67 ERA) vs. Indians RH Trevor Bauer (2-0, 1.80)
Hutchison has failed to finish five innings in three of his last four starts, including a season-low four frames at Boston on Tuesday. He gave up six runs with season highs of nine hits and five walks while failing to strike out a batter in that one, which came one start after he recorded seven punchouts and did not walk a man in a win over Baltimore. Hutchison has a 5.15 ERA in 28 career road starts but held the Indians to two runs while striking out nine in 5 1/3 innings in his only prior outing in Cleveland.
Bauer has hurled four straight quality starts out of the gate, two of the scoreless variety. After fanning 26 batters in 19 innings over his first three outings, he had just two in six frames in a no-decision against Kansas City on Tuesday, but still entered the weekend ranked fourth in the American League with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The 24-year-old has never faced Toronto.
WALK-OFFS
1. Indians LF Michael Brantley is 16-for-37 with five doubles and a homer over a nine-game stretch.
2. Cleveland is 2-14 when allowing at least three runs.
3. Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion was hitting .173 before his current five-game hitting streak (8-for-20).