Series Preview: Coors

Like most people, the Blue Jays couldn’t wait to leave Florida after getting swept by the Rays. This team has now lost seven of their last eight games, and now owns the 4th-worst record in the AL. They have also been held to just two runs or fewer in 14 of their 27 games this month.

Thankfully, the Blue Jays begin a three-game series in Coors Field. As the Blue Jays have recorded the 2nd-fewest amount of runs throughout the AL this month. So with the ball likely to fly all around the high-altitude park of Coors Field, this should give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a great chance to hit the first 500-ft home run this season.

Edwin Jackson is lucky that the Blue Jays have absolutely zero depth when it comes to quality starting pitchers at triple-A, or he would likely not be apart of this organization anymore. Jackson has gotten pounded over his last two starts, and this start against the Rockies likely won’t go any better.

The 35-year-old has surrendered 14 hits, 13 runs(12 earned), four home runs along with a pair of walks over his last two starts. If you thought those last two performances were ugly, Jackson will now have to face the best-producing offense in the NL. The Rockies currently led the NL in runs, triples, RBI, AVG, OBP, SLG and OPS for this month. Which means this will likely be another rough outing for Jackson.

German Marquez will be making his first-career start against the Blue Jays in the opener of this series. The 24-year-old has been very ineffective this month. He has given up seven or more hits in four of his five starts this month, as well as allowing five runs in two of those five starts.

While the Blue Jays should be able to get their hits off of Marquez, they will likely struggle to drive-in runs against the Venezuelan-native. During their three-game series against the Rays, the Blue Jays hit just two-for-25 with RISP. The Blue Jays have reduced the amount of times they strikeout during this month, but they could relapse against Marquez in this start. As he has created seven or more strikeouts in three of his five starts this month.

Stro-Show has continued to perform as the Blue Jays best-player despite all the trade rumors surrounding him. Everywhere you look it seems that there’s a new report stating that the Blue Jays are inching closer and closer to dealing away Stroman. But none of that chatter has seemed to phase the 28-year-old, as he’s now put together four-straight quality starts.

Similar to Marquez, this will be Stroman’s first-career start against the Rockies. Stroman’s last two starts have been particularly impressive. Along with giving up just two runs over his last two starts, Stroman has finally been receiving support from his offense. The Blue Jays have supplied Stroman with ten runs in each of his last two starts. While Stroman may not need ten runs of support in this start, he will need a little run-support from his team. As it may be tough for Stroman to hold down one of the best-offenses in the NL.

Last time out Jon Gray was forced to leave the game due to a blister starting to form on his right middle finger. Before departing, Gray was pitching very effectively against the Diamondbacks, and would have likely received the win if his team had scored before he was forced to leave the game.

Gray has been a strikeout machine this month for the Rockies. The 27-year-old who has exceptional hair, has stuck-out seven or more batters in four of his five starts this month. He would have likely be able to continue that streak in his latest outing, if it weren’t for that annoying blister. Gray has also given up at least one home run in nine of his eleven starts this season. Which means we could see the Blue Jays hitting a lot of balls over the wall in this game, as they have hit the 2nd-most home runs in the AL over the last seven days.

Just when we thought we had finally heard the last about significant finger injuries involving Aaron Sanchez, we were proved wrong once again. I think I’m almost at the point where I’d be willing to donate my finger nail to Sanchez, because these injuries are beginning to be worrisome. Sanchez was forced to leave the game against the Rays because his nail almost came completely off his finger.

However, the Blue Jays are unable to give him sometime off because they don’t have anyone capable of filling-in for him while the medical team attempts to find a solution for Sanchez. So the Blue Jays are forced to once again roll the dice and hope that Sanchez’s finger doesn’t fall off in this start, or something worse than that, if that’s even possible.

Antonio Senzatela is likely wishing for terrible weather conditions once again in this start. The 24-year-old was lucky it was too cold for the ball to fly out of the ballpark in his last start against the Diamondbacks, as he gave up nine hits and 14 fly balls in home run friendly Coors Field.

Senzatela has gotten smacked around over his last two starts. He has surrendered a combined 18 hits along with a pair of home runs through just 9.1 innings pitched. Luckily for the Blue Jays, Senzatela has also struggled to set down batters on strikes all-season long as well. Senzatela has failed to record four strikeouts or more in six of his nine starts this season. So this should provide the Blue Jays with a great opportunity to go out with a bang in their first-trip to the Mile High city since the 2016 season.