Blue Jays at White Sox
The Toronto Blue Jays traded away one of their starting pitchers and are waiting for two others to come off the disabled list, and the attrition is starting to show. The Blue Jays will try to slow the opposing offense when they visit the Chicago White Sox in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.
Toronto's staff allowed at least five runs in each of the last five games - four losses - and couldn't survive a bullpen game on Saturday. With All-Star J.A. Happ off to the New York Yankees in a recent trade, the Blue Jays elected to split Saturday's game between seven relievers and paid for it in the eighth inning, when Jaime Garcia and Ryan Tepera combined to allow six runs and squander the lead in a 9-5 setback. The White Sox had their own pitching problems with double-digit runs allowed in three straight losses before snapping the slide on Saturday and leaned on Leury Garcia for four RBIs in the victory. Toronto will try to get some length out of rookie left-hander Ryan Borucki on Sunday while Chicago counters with left-hander Carlos Rodon.
TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), NBCS Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH Ryan Borucki (0-2, 2.79 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Carlos Rodon (3-3, 3.38)
Borucki is still looking for his first major-league win despite allowing two or fewer runs in four of his first five outings. The Chicago-area native yielded a pair of unearned runs on six hits in six innings against Minnesota on Tuesday but could not get any run support and ended up with a loss in a game Toronto went onto lose 5-0. Borucki's lone non-quality start came in his last road outing when he was ripped for seven runs - four earned - and eight hits in three innings at Boston on July 13.
Rodon is trying to build off two straight dominant outings, during which he allowed a total of two runs and five hits while striking out 15 in 15 innings against St. Louis and the Los Angeles Angels. The North Carolina State product took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Angels on Tuesday and posted a season high of eight strikeouts. Rodon is seeing Toronto for the first time since 2016 and is 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts at home in 2018.
WALK-OFFS
1. Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (left glute strain, finger blister) is expected to come off the DL and start on Monday at Oakland.
2. Chicago 2B Yoan Moncada is 1-for-15 over his last four contests.
3. Toronto 2B/SS Lourdes Gurriel Jr. recorded multiple hits in each of his last 10 games.