Blue Jays at Orioles
Yovani Gallardo’s solid return to the rotation only improves the outlook for the first-place Baltimore Orioles, who will take all the starting pitching they can find after a rough week. The Orioles will try to make it back-to-back strong starts when ace Chris Tillman takes the mound in the rubber match of a three-game series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Baltimore is 3-5 in its last eight games and the staff allowed two or fewer runs in each of the three wins but coughed up a total of 44 runs in the five setbacks. The last of those losses came in a 13-3 drubbing by the Blue Jays in Friday’s series opener when starter Mike Wright failed to make it out of the fourth inning. Gallardo allowed two runs in Saturday’s win but only went five innings as he makes his return from a shoulder injury, leaving 9 1/3 innings for the Orioles bullpen in the first two games of the series. Baltimore managed to contain Toronto left fielder Michael Saunders on Saturday after he blasted three homers and drove in eight runs on Friday.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), MASN (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (6-2, 4.76 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Chris Tillman (9-1, 2.87)
Stroman was roughed up for 17 runs in 16 1/3 innings over a three-start span but snapped out of the funk with a solid effort against Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Duke product allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings to earn the win. Stroman won a start at Baltimore on April 19 with seven solid innings but surrendered four runs on eight hits and a walk while notching only two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings against the Orioles on June 9.
Tillman has not lost since April 14 and allowed one run while striking out 16 in a total of 14 1/3 innings over his last two starts. The California native yielded three home runs in back-to-back starts on May 29 and June 3 but gave up a combined four blasts in his other 12 outings. Tillman was held out of the decision at Toronto on April 21, when he surrendered two runs and four hits in six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Orioles SS-3B Manny Machado on Sunday will begin a four-game suspension he earned for charging the mound against the Kansas City Royals on June 7.
2. Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki (quad) went 0-for-4 on Saturday in his return from the disabled list.
3. Toronto RF Jose Bautista will head to North Carolina on Monday to undergo further testing on a toe injury that forced him to the DL.