The hottest pitcher in baseball will look to keep the good times rolling Wednesday afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays host the Philadelphia Phillies for Game 2 of their two-game series.

Bowden Francis will take the mound for the Jays, fresh off earning AL Pitcher of the Month honours for August, during which he diced up his opponents. He allowed just 10 hits across 34 and one-third innings in six games, posting a 1.05 ERA and 2.48 FIP, holding opposing batters to a stunning .316 OPS. Three of his five starts saw him give up just one hit, including an August 24th game against the Los Angeles Angels where he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning, throwing 115 pitches.

The Jays have managed to stretch Francis out into a starter, averaging 88.8 pitchers per start last month, and he’s clearly excelling in the role. It’s a huge boon for the Blue Jays, who will be without Alek Manoah or Ricky Tiedemann for the majority of next season, as they recover from Tommy John surgeries. Both had been slated to be in, or at the very least competing for a spot in the rotation in 2025, and if Francis can continue to excel down the stretch run of this 2024 campaign, that would be huge news.

It won’t be an easy task for him Wednesday, facing a potent Phillies offence that mounted a big comeback Tuesday to secure a win over the Jays. Opposite Francis will be lefty Cristopher Sanchez, who enters the game with a 3.49 ERA on the season.

First pitch: 3:07 p.m. EST.

TV & Radio: Sportsnet, SN590.

Moneyline: TOR +120; PHI -130.
Spread: TOR +1.5 -155; PHI -1.5 +130.
Over/Under: o8 -105; u8 -115.

*Odds at the time of publishing. Odds subject to change.

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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.