It wasn’t the prettiest win of the season, but last night, the Toronto Blue Jays extended their winning streak to six games, beating the Los Angeles Angels in extra innings.

An Ernie Clement sac bunt turned throwing error brought the runner in from second and kept the streak alive. Eric Lauer was fantastic for the Jays and their depleted bullpen, going six innings and allowing just three hits, one walk, and two earned runs while striking out six, and the likes of Brendan Little, Yariel Rodriguez, and Chad Green pitched well, keeping the game close.

Looking to keep the momentum going for the Jays this afternoon will be right-hander Max Scherzer, who makes his fourth start of the season.

He last pitched on June 30th against the Yankees, going five innings and allowing just three hits and two earned runs on 71 pitches before coming out of the game with arm fatigue/thumb soreness. Scherzer was seen flexing his hand out, and given the thumb issue that sidelined him for a good portion of the season already, manager John Schneider turned to the bullpen to finish out the game. Since returning from the IL, Scherzer has allowed nine hits and five earned runs through 10 innings of work. He was a bit wild in his first outing back, accumulating three walks (one of which was a pitch clock violation), but he bounced back nicely against New York, keeping the free passes at zero and striking out seven.

The future Hall of Famer topped out at 95 MPH on the radar gun and was sitting in the 93 MPH range, a good sign for the veteran that he can hopefully give the Jays some length from the rotation today.

Opposite Scherzer at the Rogers Centre will be right-hander Jack Kochanowicz. The 24-year-old will be making his 18th start of the season.

The former third-round pick of the 2019 draft made his MLB debut last season and has been a staple in the Angels’ rotation all season long. A groundball pitcher by trade, Kochanowicz owns a 51.7% GB rate heading into today’s contest and has seen an uptick in strikeouts compared to last year, although he’s a contact pitcher versus a strikeout artist overall. Kochanowicz owns a 5.44 ERA and a 5.54 FIP this season, largely attributed to his high walk rate (4.2 BB/9) and the home runs allowed, surrendering 15 to the tune of a 1.6 HR/9. June was a tough month for the Angels starter, allowing 18 earned runs through six starts as well as six home runs.

Working with a five-pitch mix, his sinker is the dominant pitch in his arsenal, ranking at 47.9%. He mixes in a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, and sweeper to round everything out. His two fastball offerings sit in the mid-90s and can hit the upper limit towards triple digits, but the sinker has been hit hard this year, accumulating a .424 xSLG and a .292 xBA through 665 pitches and 203 plate appearences. Four of his five pitches rank in negative run value, with his four-seam fastball sitting at zero.

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 3:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Max Scherzer: 0-0 record, 4.85 ERA, 13 IP, 12 SO, 3 BB

Los Angeles Angels – Jack Kochanowicz: 3-8 record, 5.44 ERA, 86 IP, 61 SO, 40 BB