Whit Merrifield will be looking to extend his 20-game on-base streak as the Toronto Blue Jays (17-9) host the Seattle Mariners (11-15) at Rogers Centre on Saturday. The Blue Jays took Friday’s series opener 3-2, their fifth straight victory overall.
Tim Mayza threw one scoreless inning in relief to get the win, and Jordan Romano picked up his ninth save with a scoreless ninth.Alejandro Kirk’s on-base streak is up to 11 as he went 3 for 4 with a solo home run in the win. Cal Raleigh was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs for the Mariners.
ON THE MOUND
Chris Flexen (0-4, 8.86 ERA) is in line for the start for Seattle. The RHP allowed six runs over four innings in his last start, a 7-3 road defeat against the Cardinals on Sunday. He took the loss, yielding nine hits while striking out three and walking three.
Flexen is making his first appearance against the Blue Jays this season. Flexen made one start against the Blue Jays in 2022, a 6-2 road loss on May 16. He surrendered three runs on six hits over 5.1 innings, striking out seven and walking two.
For Toronto, righty Kevin Gausman (2-2, 2.84 ERA) will toe the rubber. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Mariners. Gausman made one start against the Mariners in 2022, throwing five innings in a 5-1 home defeat on May 18.
He gave up seven hits and walked one, while striking out three in the loss. In his last start on Sunday, Gausman got the win on the road against the Yankees. He threw seven scoreless innings and gave up three hits, striking out 11, in the 5-1 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Seattle has averaged only 3.0 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.2, while performing worse across the board (.195/.256/.365). Against right-handed pitchers like Gausman this season, the M’s have a .694 OPS. J.P.
Crawford has the team’s highest on-base percentage against right-handers at .435 over 62 at-bats. Toronto is averaging 5.6 runs per game in the last five, up slightly from 4.7 for the season.
The Jays have a .764 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a 1.006 OPS over 66 at-bats, Matt Chapman has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Seattle is on a three-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 4-6 in 2023. The M’s have scored 4.2 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.4 runs. Toronto has won four in a row in front of their home fans.
The Jays are 8-2 at home this season, averaging 4.9 runs per game while surrendering 2.6. In the last 10 games between the teams at Rogers Centre, Seattle is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 4.6-3.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Mariners are fourth in the AL West, four games behind the division-leading Rangers. The Blue Jays are third in the AL East, four games behind the Rays.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Toronto Blue Jays (-275)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
