The Toronto Blue Jays begin their final road series of the season.

Beginning on Friday, the Blue Jays play a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Last time the two teams played, the Royals took two of three from the Jays in what was a disappointing series.

With a Blue Jays win and losses from two of the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Guardians, the Jays will clinch their first postseason berth since 2023. However, the main goal should be finishing with home-field advantage through the first two rounds, and a win will go a long way to helping that.

It feels like the first time in a while, but the Blue Jays are fielding their best team with the players available. George Springer leads off, followed by Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Addison Barger bats clean up, followed by Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho. Their bottom three are comprised of Davis Schneider, Andrés Giménez, and Ernie Clement.

It was a rough series against the Rays, despite the series split. Offence in particular struggled,  as only Lukes, Schneider, and Clement finished with a wRC+ above 100. Springer, Guerrero Jr., Barger, Kirk, Varsho, and Giménez had a tough series and need to bounce back over the weekend.

Starting for the Blue Jays is Max Scherzer, who has a 4.31 ERA and 4.79 FIP in 79.1 innings pitched. After pitching six quality starts in seven games from July 11th until August 19th, Scherzer has struggled. Over his past four starts, he’s given up 14 earned runs in 19.1 innings pitched, which equates to a 6.52 ERA. The good news is that in his last outing on Saturday, he pitched five innings with two earned runs allowed. On the mound for the Royals is Michael Lorenzen.

It’s that time of the season when we look at the out-of-town scoreboard. The New York Yankees play the second of four against the Baltimore Orioles, with a start time of 7:05 PM ET. At 6:40 PM ET, the Detroit Tigers play the first of three against the Atlanta Braves, while the Boston Red Sox head to Tampa to face the Rays for a three-game series. Garrett Crochet starts for the Red Sox when that game begins at 7:35 PM.

Less important are the Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, and Cleveland Guardians. The Astros and Mariners play against one another, with the game starting at 8:10 PM ET. As for the Guardians, they have an 8:10 PM ET start time as well, playing the Minnesota Twins.

Toronto Blue Jays – Max Scherzer: 5-3 record, 4.31 ERA, 79.1 IP, 75 SO, 22 BB

Kansas City Royals – Michael Lorenzen:  5-11 record, 4.91 ERA, 128.1 IP, 114 SO, 36 BB