BOSTON RED SOX NOTES:
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TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays scored in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings yesterday but were unable to complete the comeback as they fell, 7-6, to the Red Sox…Are now 13-8 in one-run games this season…Have gone 16-28 all-time in Canada Day contests (12-10 at Rogers Centre). Toronto has gone 16-12 over its last 28 games and is 19-14 over the last 33…Toronto’s .576 win% over that span (since May 26) is tied for 2nd best in the AL (1st: TB – .588)…Are now 9-4-0 in home series (16-11-10 overall)…Need a win today to avoid being swept for the 4th time this year.
A LEADING CANDIDATE: George Springer got things going yesterday with a leadoff home run…Was his 4th leadoff blast of the season and the 56th of his career, 2nd most all-time to only Rickey Henderson’s 81…Marked his 12th home run of the campaign. The right fielder also singled in the the 6th and again in the 9th to finish 3-for-5…Was his 6th game with 3+ hits and his 25th multi-hit game (T-10th in the AL)…Over his last 20 contests, is batting .346 (27-for-78) with six doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI (.927 OPS).
BO-ING FOR DISTANCE: Bo Bichette tied yesterday’s contest, 2-2, with a solo shot in the 3rd inning…Was his team-leading 15th homer and his 7th home run to tie the game or take the lead…Added a double in the 9th to finish 2-for-5… Marked his AL-best 32nd multi-hit game. The 25-year-old currently leads the AL with 112 hits, 11 more than any other batter, trailing only Luis Arraez (116) for the most in the Majors…His .317 batting average trails only Yandy Díaz (.319) for the AL lead while he sits 2nd in total bases (180), 5th in SLG (.510), 6th in OPS (.857), T-7th in XBH (37), T-8th in doubles (21), and T-11th in home runs (15).
A CHAPPY PLACE: Matt Chapman got the Blue Jays to within one run of the BoSox in the 8th inning last night with a two-run homer…Was his 11th longball of the season and 5th at Rogers Centre…Also drew a walk and doubled for a 2-for-3 afternoon…Now has 27 doubles to lead all AL batters, one back of Freddie Freeman (28) for the MLB lead. The third baseman is now tied for 3rd among AL hitters with 38 extra-base hits…Ranks 2nd among MLB hitters with a 59.3 hard-hit percentage (1st: Aaron Judge – 62.6), 8th in barrel rate (11.5%), T-8th in average exit velocity (93.9 MPH), and T-9th in hard-hit balls (124).
VLAD HABITS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked and scored a run in the 8th before nearly completing Toronto’s comeback bit with a two-out, RBI single in the 9th…His 87 hits are tied for 8th most in the AL while his 52 RBI are tied for 10th…Has recorded an AL-leading 149 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season (2nd: Bo Bichette – 132).
DANNY IS DIALED IN: Danny Jansen singled and walked for a 1-for-3 day… Over his last 26 games, has gone 23-for-89 (.258) with six doubles, seven homers, and 18 RBI for a .562 SLG and an .852 OPS.
HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are at the end of their nine-game, 10-day homestand (4-4 so far)…Have gone 23-17 this season at Rogers Centre…The .575 win% at home
is 4th best in the AL…After today’s game, will have tomorrow off and then embark on a six-game trip to take on the White Sox (36-49) and the Tigers (36-46)
before heading into the All-Star Break. Toronto batters rank 4th in the AL in home AVG (.260), 4th in home OBP (.332), 6th in home OPS (.744), and 7th in home SLG (.412)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among all AL teams with 3.38 home ERA, a .215 home opponents’ average, and a 1.13 home WHIP.
GAUS FOR EXCITEMENT: Kevin Gausman gets the start today, coming off 6.0 innings of one-run ball last Tuesday vs. SF…Scattered three hits and a walk while racking up 12 strikeouts… Fanned LaMonte Wade Jr. in the 4th inning to reach 1,500 career strikeouts, becoming the 21st active player to reach the mark… Was his MLB-leading 7th double-digit strikeout game of the season. The righty enters today leading the AL with 139 strikeouts (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 127), behind only Spencer Strider (146) for the most in MLB…Leads all Major League pitchers with a 2.51 FIP (2nd: Zac Gallen – 2.78)…Among AL pitchers, is also currently T-1st in quality starts (13), 2nd in SO/9 (11.95), 2nd in K rate (32.7%), 4th in innings pitched (104.2), and 7th in ERA (3.01).
OFFENSIVE THINGS: Toronto batters have notched 755 hits this season, 4th most in the Majors…Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.262), 5th in OBP (.328), 5th in OPS (.747), 5th in extra-base hits (259), and 6th in SLG (.419)…Now have 32 games with 10+ hits this season (T-5th in the AL).
DIVISIONAL DOWNTURN: The Blue Jays have gone 7-19 against divisional opponents this season (5th among AL East clubs)… Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006.
VS. THE RED SOX: All-Time: 320-388
2023: 0-6 Home: 154-196
Home: 0-2 Rogers Centre: 119-147
The Blue Jays last met the Red Sox at Fenway Park in May and were swept in that four-game series… Surrendered 13+ hits and 6+ runs in each of the four contests…Have lost six straight games to the BoSox, their longest skid against them since 2018 (six straight)…Went 16-3 vs. Boston last year, their most
wins vs. a single opponent in a season all-time (15 vs. BAL in 2002 and 2010), including an 8-2 record here at Rogers Centre.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had hits in all four games in Boston earlier this year, going 7-for-18 (.389) with a pair of doubles, a pair of home runs, and five RBI (.833 SLG)…In 68 career meetings, is now 76-for-266 (.286) with 18 doubles, 13 home runs, and 57 RBI for a .500 SLG and an .866 OPS.
Bo Bichette went 7-for-16 (.438) in the prior series at Fenway Park, including a double, a homer, four RBI, and two walks (.500 OBP)…Has batted .330 (66-for200) with 15 doubles, eight home runs, and 37 RBI over 49 career contests vs. Boston (.910 OPS).
George Springer went 27-for-71 (.380) with six extra-base hits and 16 RBI in his 18 games vs. BOS last season…Holds a lifetime .316 (73-for-231) average in
59 games against the Red Sox, with nine doubles, three triples, 14 homers, and 43 RBI (.964 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Kevin Gausman, RHP #34
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 18th start of the season and his 9th at Rogers Centre…Took the loss his last time out, on 6/27 vs. SF, tossing 6.0 frames of one-run ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 12 strikeouts…Fanned LaMonte Wade Jr. in the 4th inning to reach 1,500 career strikeouts, becoming the 21st active player to reach the mark…Was his MLB-leading 7th double-digit strikeout game of the season. His 139 strikeouts are the most ever by a Blue Jay in their first 17 outings of a season (2nd: Clemens/Ray – 130), and are the most in the AL in 2023 (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 127K). Owns a 2.75 FIP since the start of the 2020 season, the best mark among qualified hurlers (2nd: Corbin Burnes – 2.78).
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Improved to 7-3 on 6/21 at MIA, giving up 3 runs over 6.0 innings (8H, BB, 6K). Pitched 7.0 frames of one-run ball on 6/6 vs. HOU, scattering 4 hits with no walks and a career-high-tying 13 strikeouts (also: 13K on 4/29/23 vs. SEA)…Became the 4th player (8th time) in franchise history to punch out at least 13 batters without any walks in a single game (last: José Berríos on 7/12/22 vs. PHI). Tossed 6.2 frames of shutout ball on 6/1 vs. MIL, scattering 5 hits and a pair of walks with 11 strikeouts…Was his 5th start with double-digit punchouts this year. Took a no-decision on 5/21 vs. BAL, tossing 8.0 frames of two-run ball on a season-high 115 pitches (6H, 2BB, 4K)…Matched his longest outing of the year (8.0IP on 4/12 vs. DET). Tossed 7.0 shutout innings on 4/29 vs. SEA, giving up 5 hits with a walk
and a career-high 13 strikeouts…Threw a then season-high 108 pitches (74 strikes) while inducing a career-high 28 swing-and-misses…Got 20 whiffs on his splitter alone, the most on a single pitch in the Majors this season, and the most on a splitter in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Took a no-decision on 4/12 vs. DET, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits over a season-high 8.0 innings with no walks and 11 strikeouts, his most as a Blue Jay…Surrendered a solo home run to Nick Maton with one out in the 4th inning, ending his streak of 15.1 innings without allowing an earned run, the longest stretch to begin a season in franchise history (2nd: Matt
Shoemaker – 14.0 IP in 2019).
