The Toronto Blue Jays‘ bats make for a curious case study – one night, they have no idea how to hit a 92 MPH Tyler Mahle fastball, the next night, they light up the Athletics pitching staff to the tune of 18 hits, four home runs, and 12 runs. It’s the ebbs and flows that make the game of baseball frustrating for even the most diehard fan.

With this latest win, the Blue Jays have won three of their last four games and will be looking to expand their mini two-game winning streak tonight against the A’s.

Pitching-wise, the Jays will be sending Chris Bassitt to the mound to take a quick 2-0 lead in the four-game series.

The former A’s hurler will be making his 12th start of the season and has been easily the top arm out of the Jays’ rotation this year. Boasting a 3.38 ERA and a 3.24 FIP, Bassitt has amassed a 1.321 WHIP through 61 1/3 innings and has locked down his command to the tune of a 1.9 BB/9. He’s seen an uptick on the punchouts so far versus his career numbers (9.2 K/9), and opponents own just a .720 OPS on the right-hander this year.

This will be Bassitt’s seventh start against his former club, and he owns a 3.69 ERA across 39 innings of work with just 16 earned runs allowed in that span.

Heading to the mound for the A’s will be left-hander Jeffrey Springs, a pitcher the Blue Jays will remember from his days with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

This season, Springs owns a 3.97 ERA across 11 starts and 59 innings and has authored a 1.22 WHIP in the process. He’s struck out 47 batters compared to 23 walks allowed and has amassed a 4.64 FIP in his first season with the A’s. Springs has five pitches in his arsenal and uses his four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup the most.

Some roster news before the game, the Jays have placed outfielder Anthony Santander on the IL with shoulder inflammation, and Alan Roden has been called up in his place. Roden has been hitting the ball well in triple-A since his demotion, and Santander’s shoulder has been bugging him since the Angels series earlier this month.

For the Jays, George Springer will lineup in the DH spot while Myles Straw and Nathan Lukes will get the nods in left and right field, respectively. Ernie Clement will slot in at second base while Barger will take the reps at third base against the southpaw. Before the game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be presented with the Tip O’Neill Award from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, while the first 15,000 fans will also receive a Guerrero City Connect Hockey Jersey.

Making the start in centre field for the Athletics tonight is Toronto product Denzel Clarke. The outfielder made an appearance in last night’s game as a defensive replacement midway through, striking out in both of his at-bats.

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 7:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Chris Bassitt: 4-3 record, 3.38 ERA, 61 1/3 IP, 63 SO, 7 BB

Athletics – Jeffrey Springs: 5-3 record, 3.97 ERA, 59 IP, 47 SO, 23 BB