Orioles at Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays attempt to record back-to-back wins for the first time this season when they host the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series. The Blue Jays coughed up a one-run lead in the ninth inning Saturday before Kendrys Morales belted a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the frame for a 2-1 victory that put an end to a seven-game losing streak.
Toronto, one of the league’s most feared offensive teams the last few seasons, has scored three or fewer runs in eight of their first 11 games (2-9) and posted just six hits Saturday as many key players continue to struggle with the bats. Jose Bautista is hitting just .150 with no homers and one RBI in the early going and will try to warm up against Baltimore starter Dylan Bundy on Sunday while the Blue Jays send J.A. Happ to the hill. The Orioles saw their three-game winning streak come to an end Saturday, but Jonathan Schoop tied the contest with a sacrifice fly and is 7-for-14 with five RBIs over his last four contests. Baltimore All-Star Manny Machado has yet to find his swing in April, batting .171 overall and going 2-for-21 over his last six games.
TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, MASN (Baltimore), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles RH Dylan Bundy (1-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (0-2, 5.40)
Bundy opened the season with a pair of quality starts, but suffered the loss last Tuesday when he yielded three runs and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings at Boston. The 24-year-old Oklahoma native limited the Blue Jays to one run on four hits with eight strikeouts and no walks over seven innings in his first start of the season. Bautista, Morales, Russell Martin and Troy Tulowitzki are a combined 0-for-14 versus Bundy, who was 1-0 with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against Toronto last year.
Happ has yet to find the top form that led to a career-high 20 wins last year, but held the Orioles to three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts over seven innings on April 5 in a 3-1 loss. The 34-year-old Northwestern product has struck out 17 without a walk over the first 11 2/3 innings of 2017, but has surrendered 14 hits in that span. Machado (7-for-24) and Adam Jones (9-for-35) have each gone deep twice against Happ, who was 11-2 at home and 2-0 versus Baltimore in 2016.
WALK-OFFS
1. Baltimore C Welington Castillo is 8-for-19 with three RBIs over his last five contests.
2. Tulowitzki is beginning to find his form at the plate, going 6-for-16 with three doubles and three RBIs the last five games.
3. Despite the loss, the Orioles are 4-1 against the Blue Jays this season after going 17-21 in the series the previous two years.