Game Threat: Jays (75-56) @ Orioles (73-58)

Image, as always, by the great @JAHappster

Alright, Baltimore. You want to try this again?

Because I could go for a repeat of what happened last night seven days a week and twice on Sundays, know what I mean?

Maybe have some of your fans show up to this one!

And, y’know, there were a few seasons there when a Ubaldo-vs.-J.A. Happ match-up would have made it look as though we were in for quite the laugher for very different reasons than one might think that tonight.

I mean, it’s baseball and anything can happen, and the Jays’ lineup seems sometimes especially mystified by a confounding trash bag like Ubaldo, or tomorrow night’s O’s starter Yovani Gallardo, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one. Don’t you? (Ugh did I just jinx it? Nah, not likely!)

The headline at MLB.com referring to this Jays-Orioles tilt right now is “there’s a Happ for that.” Very droll, Fred. Very droll.

Sportsnet’s Scott Carson notes that with a win tonight, J.A. Happ could become the first Jays’ 18-game-winner since both Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett did it in 2008. Still love me some Pete Puma!

Aaron Sanchez will be back in the big leagues and pitching for the Jays tomorrow. Who goes down in his place? Barry Davis rightly suggests it’ll be a reliever with options who can rejoin the team once Buffalo’s season is through.

Benny Fresh notes that the Jays haven’t announced their rotation plans beyond tomorrow just yet. So… stay tuned, I guess? I bet it’s gonna involve pitchers!

I’m pretty sure newspapers mostly still exist only so their baseball writers can be confused about why Jose Bautista is leading off for the Blue Jays right now. Love it!

It’s Melvin Upton in left and Michael Saunders in right tonight, as Jose Bautista is the DH. If that seems odd it’s only because it is, but according to a Ben Ennis tweet, the reason it’s Saunders and not Upton — a better defender — in right, is because Upton says he’s more comfortable in right, and Saunders was happy to oblige.

TV: Sportsnet
Next Game(s): Tomorrow @ Baltimore, 7:10 PM ET
AL East Standings: TOR (-), BOS (2), BAL (4), NYY (7.5), TBR (19.5)
And now, the lineups…

Jose Bautista(R) DH

Josh Donaldson(R) 3B

Edwin Encarnacion(R) 1B

Russell Martin(R) C

Troy Tulowitzki(R) SS

Michael Saunders(L) RF

Melvin Upton Jr.(R) LF

Kevin Pillar(R) CF

Devon Travis(R) 2B

J.A. Happ LHP

Steve Pearce(R) LF

Pedro Alvarez(L) DH

Manny Machado(R) 3B

Mark Trumbo(R) RF

Chris Davis(L) 1B

Jonathan Schoop(R) 2B

Matt Wieters(S) C

J.J. Hardy(R) SS

Nolan Reimold(R) CF

Ubaldo Jimenez RHP