Game #75 Preview: Akin vs Ryu

After a very disappointing loss last night, the Blue Jays will look to bounce back this afternoon and take game 3 of their 4 game series against the Orioles. Gametime today is set for 3:07 ET.

Blue Jays’ Starter

Hyun Jin Ryu will make his 15th start of the season, bringing with him a 6-4 record and 3.25 ERA. He has been struggling to get strikeouts so far this year, with just 69 in his 83.0 innings. That works out to a 7.48 per 9 inning rate, his lowest since his rookie season in 2013. He’s also seeing an uptick in home runs, with his 1.30 per 9 innings, higher than the league average of 1.20. It’s his first season above league average since 2017. His ability to limit walks is still quite fantastic though, with 17 through 14 starts, a Roy Halladayian number.

Ryu faced these same Orioles last Sunday, and had his best start in over a month. He made it through 7 fantastic innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 4. The lone run came on a 1st inning Trey Mancini home run.

Orioles’ Starter

The Orioles will go with 26 year old lefty Keegan Akin, making his 10th appearance of the season. Akin’s season started at the beginning of May, after starting the year at the Alternate Site, and then slicing his finger due to poor kitchen skills as he was nearing activation. But his season got underway with 4 long relief/ follower appearances, before moving full time to the rotation.

In total this season, Akin has thrown 33.2 innings, and has had a bit of a rough going in those innings. He allowed 24 runs on 39 hits and 14 walks, striking out 32 against 5 home runs. That all works out to a 6.42 ERA, but a much better 4.43 FIP.

Blue Jays’ Lineup

Mostly what I was expecting with the lefty on the mound, giving Biggio the day off. But McGuire in there must be a Ryu request.

Orioles’ Lineup

Yesterday’s Heroes

Fernando Tatis Jr. went 4-5, smashing 3 home runs and driving in 4 to pick up the Monster Bat. He helped his Padres pick up the 11-5 win over the visiting Diamondbacks.

Willy Adames had a big game yesterday, picking up .613 WPA on his way to the WPA King award. He hit a game tying 2-run home run in the 9th inning, then hit a single to push the winning run to 3B to lead off the 11th. The run scored on a sac fly, and the Brewers won 5-4 over the Rockies.

Johnny Cueto threw 7 shutout innings to pick up the Pitcher of the Day award. He allowed 5 hits, a walk and a beanball, but managed 6 strike outs and just enough magic to keep the Athletics off the board. The 2014 All Stars Giants won the game 2-0.

Find the Link

Find the link between Anthony Santander and Tyler Wells.

Stats retrieved from Fangraphs and Baseball Savant