The Toronto Blue Jays tied the game late last night in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Houston Astros, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Jeff Hoffman gave up a solo shot to Yainer Diaz in the top of the ninth inning, and the Jays’ bats went cold in the bottom half of the frame. Jose Berrios had a solid outing, allowing two earned through 5 1/3 innings while striking out four and producing tons of ground balls. He wasn’t the issue yesterday; Hoffman couldn’t keep it close, and the Jays’ bats decided to stay in the racks until late in the game, a common theme this series.

With an afternoon game on the horizon, Kevin Gausman will be tasked with locking down the series win for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gausman is coming off a terrific start in New York this past weekend, going eight innings while allowing just one earned run off one walk and four hits while striking out five. Dating back to early August, Gausman has produced a stellar 3.56 FIP through seven outings, with the Jays winning just two of those games thanks to a lack of run support (outside of the 20-1 shellacking of the Colorado Rockies) and the bullpen struggling to support the veteran arm. Gausman faced Houston earlier this year (April 21st), and the bats also struggled to provide him with any run support. The right-hander earned the loss after going six innings with four earned runs allowed in the 7-0 final.

With his recent hot stretch, the Colorado product has dropped his ERA to 3.63 on the season through 168 2/3 innings. This will be his 29th start of the campaign.

Heading to the mound for the Astros is Cristian Javier.

The Dominican product is making his sixth start of the season as he spent the entire second half of the 2024 campaign and a large portion of this season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Through 20 1/3 innings, Javier has posted a 4.43 ERA and a 4.37 FIP, allowing 10 earned runs. The right-hander has amassed a 6.6 H/9 and an 8.9 K/9 through the small sample size, but the walks have been the biggest issue for the Astros hurler, who owns a 5.3 BB/9 this year.

The Blue Jays’ bats will see a steady dose of four-seamers, with Javier’s fastball tracking in the 92-95 MPH area. He complements the pitch with a changeup, sweeper, knuckle curve, and sinker to try and keep hitters off balance. The knuckle-curve has been his worst pitch this season, with opponents posting an .863 SLG and a .392 xBA on the offering, which he has thrown 46 times this season. His fastball and changeup have mixed well, but his sweeper owns the highest K rate of the bunch (42.9%) and should be watched for when the Jays fall behind in the count (28.6% putaway).

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 3:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Kevin Gausman: 9-10 record, 3.63 ERA, 168 2/3 IP, 162 SO, 44 BB

Houston Astros – Cristian Javier: 1-2 record, 4.43 ERA, 20 1/3 IP, 20 SO, 12 BB