The Toronto Blue Jays are fresh off a series win and will look to keep their winning ways going against the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game set. This is the first matchup between the two sides this season.

The Jays are 5-5 in their last ten games, sitting third in the AL East, while the Phillies enter the Rogers Centre beginning a six-game road trip and are second in the NL East, 9.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves and their league-leading 45-21 record. Toronto will also be welcoming back Don Mattingly, who spent a few seasons on the Jays bench and is now the manager for the Phillies after the front office fired Canadian Rob Thomson earlier this year.

Toeing the rubber for the Blue Jays is southpaw Patrick Corbin, making his 12th start of the season for Toronto. The left-hander was signed early in the campaign when the Jays’ pitching staff kept landing on the IL, and the veteran hurler has done a serviceable job filling in the gaps left in the rotation.

Through 11 starts and 54.1 innings, Corbin has posted a 3.98 ERA and a 4.28 FIP with a 1.380 WHIP. He’s amassed a 6.1 K/9 (37 strikeouts) and a 2.7 BB/9 (16 walks) during that time and has gone five or more innings through seven starts this campaign. Corbin is coming off one of his worst starts of the year, allowing one home run, six hits, and four earned against the Atlanta Braves, but was riding a hot streak to end May. Against the Pirates and Orioles, the left-hander allowed just two earned runs and nine hits through 11 innings, with the Jays winning both games.

Opposite of Corbin this evening for the Phillies will be fellow southpaw Cristopher Sanchez.

Sanchez has been one of the best starters in the league this year, posting a league-leading 1.46 ERA, 1.80 FIP, and 298 ERA+. Across 86.1 innings and 13 starts, Sanchez has allowed just 14 earned runs this season compared to 17 walks (1.8 BB/9) and 103 punchouts (10.7 K/9). The Phillies’ arm also leads the league in fWAR (3.6) and has allowed just three home runs this year for a minuscule 0.3 HR/9.

Opponents own just a .234/.273/.310 slash line with a .583 OPS and a .330 BABIP, so while opponents have been putting the ball in play at an 8.0 H/9 clip, they aren’t crossing home plate. This is in large part due to his stellar 57.9% groundball rate and 97th percentile chase rate (37.4), so while the contact has been hard at times, it hasn’t resulted in runs against.

The Jays’ bats will be watching for his three pitch mix, which consists mostly of his fastball (43.2% usage) and changeup (38.5%) with a slider mixed in for good measure (18.3%). His changeup has been downright dominant, ranking at a +14 pitching run value with a .134 xBA and a .166 xwOBA. Sanchez didn’t allow a single run (earned or unearned) through all of May, and pitched a complete game shutout against the Pirates on May 16th. He allowed a run against the San Diego Padres on June 3rd to prove that he is somewhat human, but outside of one tough outing against the Chicago Cubs on April 23rd (12 hits, six earned runs, and two walks through 5.1 innings), he’s been putting up video game-like numbers.

Manager John Schneider has six right-handed bats in the lineup, with Nathan Lukes, Andres Gimenez, and Yohendrick Pinango being the lone left-handed bats. Tyler Heineman will be behind the plate with Corbin on the mound, giving Brandon Valenzuela a day off. Daulton Varsho also gets another day off with Sanchez on the mound and his ailing wrist, although he did come in as a defensive replacement yesterday against the Baltimore Orioles. Myles Straw will take his place in centre field.

The Phillies will have all the regular bats in the lineup, which includes Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh, who has been the club’s best bat as of late.

The Rogers Centre will also be packed tonight, with fans lining up at the stadium as early as noon today, with a Roy Halladay Retro Replica Jersey Giveaway to the first 15K fans tonight.

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 7:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / SN590 the Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Patrick Corbin: 2-2 record, 3.98 ERA, 54.1 IP, 37 SO, 16 BB

Philadelphia Phillies – Cristopher Sanchez: 7-2 record, 1.46 ERA, 86.1 IP, 103 SO, 17 BB