Blue Jays at Royals
The Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays both came into the season with playoff aspirations before rough starts pushed them back in the standings, and both are trying to make their way forward again. The Royals have the benefit of owning the hottest pitcher in the league, and Jason Vargas will take the mound when they host the Blue Jays in the second of a three-game set on Saturday.
Kansas City (36-36) reached .500 for the first time since it was 7-7 on April 19 and pushed Toronto (35-38) one game further away with a 5-4 win in the series opener on Friday. The Royals are winners of 10 of their last 12 games and won in dramatic fashion on Friday, when Whit Merrifield delivered a walk-off, two-run double to cap a four-run ninth inning. The Blue Jays began their seven-game road trip strong with wins in two of the first three at Texas but dropped an 11-4 decision on Thursday with a chance to move to .500 and fell in excruciating fashion on Friday. Toronto will try to bounce back against Vargas, while the Royals counter with right-hander Marco Estrada.
TV: 2:15 p.m. ET, SportsNet (Toronto), FSN Kansas City
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (4-5, 4.98 ERA) vs. Royals LH Jason Vargas (10-3, 2.27)
Estrada is enduring a four-start winless streak and wasn’t particularly sharp in any of those outings, during which he piled up a 0-3 record with a 12.68 ERA. The California native managed to escape without a decision at Texas on Monday despite allowing six runs on seven hits and four walks in 3 2/3 innings. Estrada is seeing for the Royals for the first time since the 2015 American League Championship Series, when he went 1-1 in a pair of starts, including a win in Game 5 that kept the series alive for Toronto.
Vargas is enjoying a streak of five wins in as many starts and is tied with Los Angeles Dodgers’ ace Clayton Kershaw for the major-league lead in wins. The Californian, who attended Long Beach State with Estrada, has allowed a total of six runs in his last four outings and is coming off a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Vargas missed the 2015 ALCS following elbow surgery and has not faced Toronto since a win on May 30, 2014.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays OF Steve Pearce (knee) is both day-to-day.
2. The Royals reportedly agreed to a deal with veteran RHP Nefatli Feliz and designated RHP Chris Young for assignment.
3. Toronto DH Kendrys Morales went 0-for-3 on Friday, snapping a string of five straight games with multiple hits.