After a nice win last night to open the series, the Jays look to win the series this afternoon in Toronto.
The PItching Matchup:
Two young Venezuelan pitchers face off today. Anibal Sanchez pitches for the Tigers. Sanchez is well on his way to his third consecutive excellent season. Sanchez, who came over in a recent trade that saw top Tigers prospect Jacob Turner make his way south to Miami, was pitching great for Miami, with excellent K rates, low walk rates, few home runs surrendered, and good groundball numbers. Of course, it remains to be seen how he will handle the adjustment to the American League.
Henderson Alvarez pitches for the Jays. Hendo has alternated good and bad starts over his last four appearances and, indeed, that sort of inconsistency has generally characterized his season. His K rates continue to be lower than an effective starter's should be, and he has had issues with home runs despite excellent ground ball rates. A better changeup, which was his best pitch last season, would help in both regards.
I'm heading out for a long run, but will be back and unfortunately working this weekend, but also plan to watch at least part of the game.
Today's title from another great, great Motown band, "Tracks of My Tears," written and performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
Oh, and you know the rules by now. Don't do illegal streaming, don't post gifs until the conclusion of the game, and don't be terrible.