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The Blue Jays continue their opening weekend series against the Angels, still looking for their first win against them here in game 3 of their 4 game set. Tonight’s game is set to get underway again at 7:07 ET.
Blue Jays’ Starter
The Jays will send out the last pitcher to earn a win for them, going with lefty Steven Matz. Matz was remarkable in his first start on Monday, holding the Rangers to just a single run over 6.1 innings. He did an excellent job with the strikeouts and walks, but he also did an a good job keeping the ball very playable for his defenders when one was put in play. Overall, if he can be anywhere close to that for the majority of his starts, he will be a solid pitcher for the Jays this year.
Angels’ Starter
José Quintana will make his second start as an Angel today, after signing as a Free Agent with them over the winter. There was a time that Quintana probably looked to his Free Agent opening with excitement, but his struggles the last couple years resulted in him signing a 1 year, $8m deal instead of the mega-deal he could have had coming his way even after the 2019 season. However, 2020 happened, where a lat injury sidelined him multiple times, and teams’ confidence him eroded.
In Quintana’s first start of the season, he got knocked around a bit by the Astros. He allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks over just 3.1 innings, although he did manage to strike out 5. The lefty has the ability to be much better than that, and the way the Jays are swinging the bats lately, he could be in line to get his season on track today.
Blue Jays’ Lineup
(forthcoming...maybe)
Angels’ Lineup
(forthcoming...maybe)
Yesterday’s Heroes
Franmil Reyes went 3-4 with a pair of home runs and drove in 3 to pick up the Monster Bat award. His Clevelanders beat the Tigers 4-1
Joe Musgrove is the obvious winner of the Pitcher of the Day. He twirled the Padres first ever no-hitter yesterday, holding the Rangers to just a hbp while striking out 10 in the 3-0 win.
Poor Johnny Cueto was left as a runner up in the Pitcher of the Day rankings, despite twirling a gem of his own. He went 8.2 innings, allowing 4 hits and a walk, but he allowed a couple baserunners in the 9th, including one that scored, so he didn’t get his complete game or shutout. However, he did put together a .482 WPA, so he does narrowly edge out Musgrove in the WPA King battle by .003 points. The Giants did end up holding on for the win as well, 3-1 over the Rockies.
Find the Link
Find the link between Quintana and Travis Hafner.