Game #134 Preview: Blackburn vs Berríos

After a hell of a game last night, the Blue Jays will look to continue their winning ways against the Atheltics, now sitting 2 games back of them in the standings. Today’s game is an afternoon one, getting underway at 3:07 ET.

Blue Jays’ Starter

José Berríos gets the ball today, looking to build off the magnificent start he had his last time out. Against Detroit last Sunday, Berríos went 7 innings, allowing just an unearned run on 6 hits, walking none while striking out 11. He got the win in that game, and ran his season numbers to a 9-7 record with a 3.53 ERA, and a very similar 3.49 FIP.

The Twins and A’s played their season series against each other back in April/May, so Berríos has already faced the A’s a couple times this year. The first start was unfortunately right when the A’s were their hottest of the year (right in the middle of their 13 game winning streak) and Berríos managed to hold them to just 1 run over 5 innings. But the A’s won that one 1-0. In the second game, he went 7 innings, allowing 4 runs but the Twins took the lead in the bottom of the 8th. His total numbers for the two games were 12 innings, 5 runs on 12 hits and a walk, with 11 strikeouts and 2 home runs - off the bats of Matt Olson and Mark Canha.

Athletics’ Starter

Paul Blackburn will start for the A’s, making just his 4th start of the year at the Major League level. Across 16.0 innings, he has allowed 5 runs on 15 hits and 4 walks, giving up a home run while striking out just 9. In 17 AAA games, the 27 year old righty had a 4-7 record with a 4.97 ERA. He wasn’t good at getting strikeouts there either, but did manage to continue avoiding walks and home runs.

Blue Jays’ Lineup

Athletics’ Lineup

Yesterday’s Heroes

Jeimer Candelario went 4-5 with a home run and a pair of doubles, driving in a pair while scoring 4 times to take home the Monster bat award. He was just one of many strong performers for the Tigers last night, as they took down the Reds 15-5.

Riley Adams had a huge double in the bottom of the 9th, scoring the tying run with 1 out, and moving to third base on an error. However, he didn’t score there, the game went to extras, and the Mets beat the Nationals 6-2. But for a fleeting moment Adams was once again the hero, and he takes home the WPA King trophy with a .710 mark.

Anthony DeSclafani threw 6 shutout innings against the Dodgers, earning himself the Pitcher of the Day award. He allowed 2 hits and walked 3, but used his 5 strikeouts to keep them off the board. The game went to extras, with a lot of drama late, and the Giants ended up beating the Dodgers 3-2 in 11 innings on a walk off error.

Find the Link

Find the link between Mark Canha and Don Baylor.

Stats retrieved from Fangraphs and Baseball Savant