GDB 35.0: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to miss second straight game as Toronto Blue Jays look to sweep Pittsburgh Pirates
By Zach Laing
1 year agoThe Toronto Blue Jays will be without Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the second straight game as they look to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday.
Guerrero Jr., who was a late scratch Saturday due to soreness in his left wrist, is no stranger to issues with that extremity. He’s missed time here and there over his career due to it, but it’s never been a major issue.
It’s part of the reason the team went out and signed 1B/DH Brandon Belt in the offseason as the Jays have the depth to be able to miss Vlad here or there.
From a team perspective, however, this series is just what the doctor ordered. They rolled on Friday night to a 4-0 victory, then the bats came alive yesterday evening en route to a 8-2 walloping. It came off the back of a great Jose Berrios performance and the hot bats of Brandon Belt and Daulton Varsho and they never looked back.
Today, it will be Yusei Kikuchi leading the team on the mound as he looks to bounce back from his poor performance against the Red Sox.
First pitch: 1:35 p.m. EST
Weather: 19C. 11 MPH SSW winds. 84% chance of precipitation. “There should be rain around during first pitch, but a late start of an hour or two should give them a fully dry 9-innings. I’m expecting a late start and play, but leaving a little wiggle-room for ‘I don’t make that call and can’t read minds.'” (RotoGrinders)
The teams:
Toronto Blue Jays: 20-14, 7.0 GB, – WCGB. +11 DIFF
Pittsburgh Pirates: 20-14, – GB, – WCGB. +27 DIFF
Moneyline: TOR -128; PIT +110.
Starting pitchers:
TOR: Yusei Kikuchi LHP — 4-0, 4.02 ERA, 1.245 WHIP, 8.6 K9, 0.4 bWAR.
PIT: Roansy Contreras RHP — 3-2, 4.09 ERA, 1.424 WHIP, 7.4 K9, 0.5 bWAR.
Lineups:
Blue Jays
- G Springer (R) RF
- B Bichette (R) DH
- D Varsho (L) LF
- M Chapman (R) 3B
- B Belt (L) 1B
- W Merrifield (R) 2B
- D Jansen (R) C
- K Kiermaier (L) CF
- S Espinal (R) SS
Pirates
- K Hayes (R) 3B
- B Reynolds (S) DH
- C Joe (R) LF
- C Santana (S) 1B
- R Castro (S) SS
- J Suwinski (L) CF
- M Andujar (R) RF
- M Mathias (R) 2B
- J Delay (R) C
Need to bide the time until first pitch?
Tune into the latest edition of Blue Jays Nation Radio as the crew talks about the Jays’ latest series against the Boston Red Sox.
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.
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