Toronto Blue Jays series preview: Home for rivalry week

Apr 1, 2015; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada (25) throws against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2  —  Tuesday, 7:07 ET

Marco Estrada will take the hill for his first start as a Blue Jay, and through one month, he’s been one of Toronto’s most reliable arms.  Estrada enters with a 1-0 record and 0.84 ERA, having not allowed an earned run since April 10th against the Baltimore Orioles.

While Estrada has earned this opportunity without question, his past performance as a starter should be cause for worry.  In 2014, Estrada allowed more home runs than any pitcher in the MLB with significantly worse numbers in a starting role.  The worry here is that his quality changeup will lose it’s impact the second and third times through the lineup, but there’s no denying that he’s the hot hand.

Michael Pineda will counter for the Yankees, and he’s off to a fine start himself.  He enters with a 3-0 record and 3.73 ERA, and has struck out 12 batters without a single walk over his last two outings.  Pineda will hit 91 MPH with his fastball while offering his slider on nearly a third of his pitches.

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