Brewers at Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays will try to bounce back from a brutal season-opening road trip when they begin their home slate against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday in the opener of a two-game set. The Blue Jays entered Monday's action as one of two American League teams with five losses, including three straight setbacks at Tampa Bay to end the trip.
Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Rays also included a calf injury to star third baseman Josh Donaldson, who has had issues in that area in the past. "We'll get a better idea the next couple days (of the severity)," Toronto manager John Gibbons said of Donaldson, whose solo homer in the first inning was one of just three hits for the Blue Jays. The Brewers will be playing their first road game after going 2-5 at home to begin the campaign, capped by Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee is batting .215 and has a .292 on-base percentage, although it entered Monday tied for the National League lead with 10 home runs.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), SportsNet (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Wily Peralta (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (0-1, 3.86)
Looking to rediscover the form that made him a 17-game winner in 2014, Peralta opened with five scoreless frames in a win over Colorado on Wednesday. The solid outing continued a late-season run from 2016 in which he posted a 2.92 ERA in 10 starts after the All-Star break. Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin is 4-for-9 with a home run against the 27-year-old Peralta, while shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is 4-for-13 with four walks.
Happ suffered a hard-luck loss in his 2017 debut, allowing three runs and five hits in seven innings while striking out nine at Baltimore last week. "Overall, I was throwing a lot of strikes," Happ told reporters after issuing zero walks. "That's a good sign." The 34-year-old owns a 6.13 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts) against Milwaukee, and he will be wary of slugger Ryan Braun, who is 9-for-28 with three homers and nine RBIs against the southpaw.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista is 3-for-22 with nine strikeouts so far, but did record his first extra-base hit - a double - in Sunday's loss.
2. Braun needs three RBIs to tie Cecil Cooper (944) for second on the franchise's all-time list.
3. The teams last met in 2014, when Toronto swept two games at home before splitting a pair in Milwaukee.