Game #132 Preview: Stripling vs Brubaker

The Blue Jays wrap up their series in Pittsburgh, looking to earn the three game sweep at the hands of the last place Pirates. Today’s game is an early one, with a start time set for 12:05 ET.

Blue Jays’ Starter

Ross Stripling gets the ball for the Jays, making his 19th start of the season, and 4th post-IL stint. His last time out he got knocked around by the Angels a bit, giving up 3 runs on a pair of home runs, but he still has a 1.97 ERA in 18.1 innings since coming back from the IL. The fact that he has gone at least 6 innings in each start since coming back shouldn’t be overlooked either, as that accounts for half of the starts this season he has thrown more than 5 innings. He is getting stronger as the season wears on.

Stripling enters today’s game with a 6-4 record and a fantastic 2.94 ERA, supported by a fantastic 2.95 FIP over 101 innings.

Pirates’ Starter

JT Brubaker gets the ball for the Pirates, making his 25th start of the season. He’s probably the closest thing the Pirates have to a “veteran” in their rotation, as this is the 28 year old’s third full season at the big league level. Unsurprisingly, this will be the righty’s first career appearance against the Blue Jays.

Considering the team he is playing on, Brubaker is having a decent season. The 3-11 record and 4.39 ERA aren’t great, but the 3.65 FIP over 127 innings is a solid season. He is striking out a little more than a batter per inning, walking guys at a league rate, and has done a good job suppressing home runs.

Blue Jays’ Lineup

Pirates’ Lineup

Yesterday’s Heroes

Ryan Mountcastle went 2-4 with a pair of home runs, driving in 4 runs to earn the Monster Bat award. Mountcastle’s bat was a key part of the Orioles’ 8-1 win over the Athletics, as the O’s moved to a season high 10(!) games ABOVE .500.

The Brewers and Diamondbacks played a back and forth game, with multiple lead changes throughout. Tyrone Taylor was a big part of that, scoring on a go ahead 2-run double in the top of the 2nd, hitting a go-ahead home run in the top of the 6th, and then ultimately in the top of the 10th, he launched a 2-run home run to put his Brewers up for good 8-6. That would hold for the final score, as Taylor gets the WPA King trophy with a .461 mark.

Dylan Cease twirled a 1-hit shutout, adding in 2 walks while striking out 7, on his way to another Pitcher of the Day award. Cease was in a stress free environment throughout this one as well, as the White Sox beat the Twins 13-0.

Find the Link

Find the link between Cal Mitchell and Joe DiMaggio.

Stats retrieved from Fangraphs and Baseball Savant