GDB 120.0: Toronto Blue Jays look to salvage series with Chicago Cubs

Happy Jose Bautista weekend to all those continuing to celebrate.

There’s lots of reason to from a historical perspective, but uh… not a ton from the current perspective.

The Jays have lost two-of-three games against the Chicago Cubs this weekend, and are well at risk of dropping out of the third wild card spot by the end of the day. While the Jays have held off the Seattle Mariners, a recent run from them this week has left them half a game back of Toronto.

So for the Jays, today’s start with Hyun-Jin Ryu on the mound is going to be critical for them to win. The bats have once again felt inept over the last week, and they’ll have a tough go of it again today with Jameson Taillon on the mound. Don’t let his 5.17 ERA on the season fool you as over his last five starts, he’s allowed nine earned runs across 29 and a third innings for a sharp 2.76 ERA over that time.

First pitch: 1:37 p.m EST — Sportsnet, Sportsnet 650.

Toronto Blue Jays: 65-54, 8.0 GB, – WCGB, +52 DIFF.

Chicago Cubs: 61-56, 2.5 GB, – WCGB, +71 DIFF.

Moneyline: TOR -122; CHI +105.

Blue Jays to win the series -143
Series correct score Toronto 2-1 +130

TOR: Hyun-Jin Ryu LHP – 0-1, 2 GS, 9.0 IP. 4.00 ERA, 108 ERA+, 4.26 FIP, 1.222 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9, 5.0 SO/9.

CHI: Jameson Taillon RHP – 7-6, 20 GS, 101.0 IP. 5.17 ERA, 89 ERA+, 4.54 FIP, 1.1337 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 7.9 SO/9.

Tune into the latest edition of Blue Jays Nation Radio as the crew talks about the Jays’ latest series against the Cleveland Guardians, and Alek Manoah being sent to Triple-A.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.