GDB 80.0: Blue Jays look to win the series against the Red Sox

Photo credit:© Brian Fluharty - USA Today

3 days ago

The Toronto Blue Jays will attempt to win the series against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, they were able to break their seven-game losing streak, but still remain seven games under .500 with a 36-43 record. They are 15 games back of the division, not even in the picture anymore, and 6.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. On top of that, they’d have to jump over six teams with a little over half the season left. It’s just not happening.

You may be asking where Ernie Clement is. Well, the Red Sox have a right-handed pitcher on the mound, Kutter Crawford. Unfortunately, Clement doesn’t have the greatest numbers against righties, as he’s slashing .232/.238/.366 with a 67 wRC+ in 84 plate appearances. For context, his slugging against lefties sits at .500 with a 146 wRC+.

Spencer Horwitz may be a player, eh? This season with the Jays, he’s slashing .348/.492/.522 with two homers in 59 plate appearances for a 193 wRC+. His 0.9 fWAR is already sixth on the team for position players, just behind Danny Jansen and Davis Schneider. I’d say that he can’t keep this up, and he probably won’t to this extent, but he has a track record of a high batting average and high OBP in the minors, so who knows.

George Springer bats fifth in the lineup for the game. It’s been a disastrous season for the largest free agent signing in Blue Jays history, but he hit his sixth home run of the season on Tuesday. Hopefully, that will get him going because the Jays desperately need Springer from 2021 and 2022.

First pitch: 7:10 PM ET

TV & Radio: Sportsnet, SN 590