GDB 33.0: Blue Jays open three-game series against Nationals

The Toronto Blue Jays are back on the road, kicking off a five-game road trip that will take them through Washington to visit the Nationals and The City of Brotherly Love to visit the Phillies.

It opens up tonight in Washington, where Yusei Kikuchi will open a three-game set opposite of Patrick Corbin.

For the Jays, they’re looking to bounce back after a trio of series losses, with losses in five of seven against the Royals sandwiched a 1-2 set against the Dodgers. Toronto’s offence has continued to sputter, sitting below league average in virtually every notable offensive category. This, mind you, comes as players like George Springer, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struggle at the plate.

The last of the trio has been the best, but is still underperforming from where the team would like him to be at. Springer and Bichette, meanwhile, are mired in some of the worst stretches in their careers. In the case of Springer, his .212 batting average and .617 OPS are numbers in which he’s had multiple spans during his career where he’s had numbers at, or worse than this mark, but none have seen him drive as few runs as he has this year, with just five RBI’s.

In Bichette’s case, his .205 BA and .557 OPS have never been as poor as this over a 29 game span at any point in his career. Things are undeniably rough for him, so much so that he hit the batting cages with his dad, Dante, earlier this week.

The good news for the Jays is they have a favourable matchup tonight against Corbin, who is struggling once again this season with a 6.82 ERA and an expected ERA that mirrors it. Jays bats have had success against him in the past, with Justin Turner slashing .410/.477/.667 with 16 hits, two home runs, and eight RBIs against him in 44 plate appearances.

Springer, too, has had success, with a .444/.500/.889 slash line that includes four hits, a home run and four RBI’s in 10 plate appearances. Others like Ernie Clement, Daulton Varsho and Davis Schneider all have success in limited plate appearances,too.

6:45 p.m. EST. TV & Radio: Sportsnet.

21º C, 18 km/h winds from right field in. – Rotogrinders

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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@thenationnetwork.com.