Blue Jays seek bounce-back win in all-important series vs. Orioles

In the heat of an American League wild-card race, where every result is magnified, two consecutive series losses could be detrimental for a team wrapped up in said chase.

The Toronto Blue Jays hope to avoid just that when they take the field against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, looking to bounce back from a rough Friday loss and gain ground on the Cleveland Guardians, who still occupy the final playoff spot in the AL.

Catch Saturday’s showdown on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT with Blue Jays Central.

Taking the mound for Toronto (73-75) will be reliever Spencer Miles as the Blue Jays get set for a bullpen day with the rotation still in flux. It will be Miles’ seventh start of the season, with his last coming on Sept. 1 in a 6-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians — a result he had no part in after pitching only a scoreless first.

Starts have been few and far between for the rookie standout, who has appeared in 45 games this season, pitching to a 2.77 ERA and 2.75 FIP.

One concerning number for Miles is that his numbers have trailed off drastically in starts. The 26-year-old has a 7.41 ERA and 1.529 WHIP, having allowed 14 earned runs in 17 innings over his six starts, while he has a 1.66 ERA and 0.934 WHIP, with 13 earned runs over 70.2 innings coming out of the bullpen.

Regardless, it’s unlikely Miles goes deep, as he hasn’t exceeded two innings or 40 pitches since July 22. Additionally, it’s expected that Spencer Arrighetti will serve as a bulk arm behind Miles, despite the trade-deadline acquisition’s struggles since joining the Jays — he carries an 8.04 ERA in four appearances with Toronto.

On the other side, the Orioles (72-76) will send Kyle Bradish to the mound, who carries a 3.91 ERA and 1.421 WHIP into the matchup. Bradish’s last start came against Boston on Sept. 6, when he allowed three runs (none earned) over four innings in a 3-1 loss.

As a divisional opponent, Bradish is mighty familiar with the Blue Jays, having made 10 starts against them over his five-year career (tied for second most behind the Red Sox), but has a 4.94 ERA and 1.490 WHIP, having given up 28 earned runs in 51 innings against them. He’s done marginally better this season, posting a 4.09 ERA and 1.727 WHIP in two starts.

That WHIP will look appealing to the Blue Jays, who have had to nickel-and-dime their way into runs this season as their search for power continues, having hit the third-fewest homers in the majors (142).

However, the Blue Jays have found a modicum of that strength in recent outings, with home runs contributing to seven of their last 14 runs scored. Those bombs have come from unlikely sources as well, with deadline acquisition Josh Smith hitting three homers in September, and rookie Brett Bateman going yard for the first time in his MLB career in the ninth inning of Friday’s loss to Baltimore.

Players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement should hope some of that magic rubs off on them, as the former remains without a round-tripper at Rogers Centre and the latter is batting .212 since the start of August and has only one homer in that time.

Contributions from those all-stars will be necessary as the wild-card race heats up, with Toronto now two games behind Cleveland (75-73) following the Guardians’ win on Friday night. The Orioles are close behind and tied with the Texas Rangers — who face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday — at three games back.