They say home is where the heart is, but for the Blue Jays, more often than not, home is also where the wins are. A 10-4 win over Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins last night brought Toronto’s home record to 43-21 on the season, and it also increased their runs per game figure to 5.34 at Rogers Centre.

With Boston and New York also winning last night, Toronto’s win kept them at a five-game lead in the AL East and just a half game back for the best record in the American League.

The Blue Jays are sending Chris Bassitt to the bump with a chance to win this series. Aligning Bassitt’s name with the term “home start” has been a good combination this season; the veteran righty has a 2.73 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 9.6 K/9 in 14 home starts, including gems against the Phillies, Padres, and Giants.

Bassitt’s season numbers regress a little once you factor in his road figures. In total, Bassitt owns a 4.18 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 through 27 appearances this year. He leads the majors in hits allowed with 152 and has already eclipsed the number of home runs he allowed last season. He is, however, running the lowest walk rate of his Blue Jays tenure at 6.6%, and he’s had only four games all season in which he’s walked more than two batters.

Left-handed hitters have had much more success against Bassitt this year than right-handers. That could become problematic for tonight, as southpaws Trevor Larnach, Edouard Julien, and Matt Wallner all have multiple hits against Bassitt for their careers.

While Bassitt has put up winning numbers at home this season, the same can be said for members of Toronto’s batting order. George Springer and Bo Bichette are running a .967 and .908 OPS, respectively. Andrés Giménez’s slash line also has a significant upgrade depending on where he’s playing, including an OPS that is 200 points higher at home than on the road.

Several Blue Jays hitters have some experience hitting against Twins righty Bailey Ober, who is getting the start tonight for Minnesota. Ober has posted a 4-7 record this season with a 5.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 7.3 K/9, the lowest of his career. Ober’s stretch of seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA is in jeopardy this year, and there are a number of factors as to why. His home run rate is up, his strikeout rate is down, and his secondary pitches aren’t as effective as they were last year, particularly the changeup.

Ober missed all of July with a hip injury, but his results have been better since returning. The Blue Jays faced Ober back on June 6th, tagging him for five earned runs on five hits with home runs from Springer and Addison Barger.

John Schneider is rolling with almost the exact same lineup from last night, except Addison Barger subs in for Daulton Varsho after a night off in the fifth spot. Nathan Lukes, who had a pair of hits last night, stays batting second behind George Springer, who is playing in the outfield for the second night in a row. Springer in the outfield is surely because of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. DH’ing for the second straight game, and it also gives Ty France another start at first base.

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 7:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Chris Bassitt: 11-7 record, 4.18 ERA, 144 1/3 IP, 142 SO, 41 BB

Minnesota Twins – Bailey Ober: 4-7 record, 5.05 ERA, 114 IP, 93 SO, 25 BB