The Toronto Blue Jays left Los Angeles with at least one win in their pocket, as the club dropped their first two games against the Angels before rallying back in the third contest to win 8-5. That series was easier on paper compared to their next, which brings them to T-Mobile Park and home to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners are leading the AL West with a 22-4 record and have won eight of their last ten while also boasting a 12-6 record at home. Seattle’s Cal Raleigh has been on a tear for the squad (.246/.365/.567 with 12 home runs and a .932 OPS) while Jorge Polanco has found his bat early this season, leading the team with his 1.103 OPS while amassing an impressive .348/.396/.707 slash line with nine homers and a team-leading 27 RBIs.

The rotation is missing two key arms in Logan Gilbert and George Kirby, who are both on the IL, but the squad is still fierce from the mound, with veteran Luis Castillo toeing the rubber today. Seattle also has Matt Brash back in the bullpen, who was on the IL the last time the two teams faced off last month.

Castillo had a shaky start to the season but has found a rhythm since facing the Jays back in April. He’s allowed just five this through 12 collective innings across two starts and has also surrendered just one run and four walks in the same span. He isn’t striking out batters like fans have seen him do before, but he’s settling in nicely after a rough stretch in April that saw him surrender seven earned runs against the Cincinnati Reds on April 15th.

Heading to the mound for the Blue Jays is Kevin Gausman, who is coming off a fantastic start against the Cleveland Guardians this past weekend, where he allowed just one hit and zero runs across six innings, striking out nine in the process. That particular start helped drop his ERA to 3.83 on the season and was a solid bounceback performance after his New York Yankees meltdown that saw him throw 50+ pitches in the third inning.

The Jays made some roster moves before the game, sending Andres Gimenez to the IL with a quad strain he suffered in yesterday’s game. In his place is Michael Stefanic, who has mustered a .319/.454/.372 slash line through 94 at-bats in triple-A with a .826 OPS. To make room for Stefanic on the 40-man roster, right-hander Dillon Tate was DFA’d.

Anthony Santander gets the day off with Daulton Varsho sliding into the three-hole spot while outfielder Jonatan Clase factors into the lineup. He was acquired from the Mariners last summer as part of the Yimi Garcia trade package.

Location: T-Mobile Park – Seattle, Washington

First Pitch: 9:40 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Kevin Gausman: 2-3 record, 3.83 ERA, 40 IP, 37 SO, 12 BB

Seattle Mariners – Luis Castillo: 3-2 record, 3.29 ERA, 38 1/3 IP, 30 SO, 16 BB