Toronto Blue Jays look to stop skid against surging Angels

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May 5, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) hits a ball during the first inning in a game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. The New York Yankees won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays are searching for answers after a four-game sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros. While these aren’t the lowly Astros of yesteryear, Toronto looked underwhelming in all phases of the game, repeatedly dragging down strong performances from one area with more glaring weaknesses at another. Now, the Toronto Blue Jays welcome the Los Angeles Angels to the Rogers Centre for a critical four-game set.

Across the Diamond

Despite the big names atop their batting order, Los Angeles has not won by producing 10 runs per game. Their team batting average of .232 ranks them 27th in all of baseball, while their 30 home runs rank them 21st. They also rank 2nd-last in team OBP (.288) and dead last in team SLG% (.349). If there’s one hot team for the Jays’ rotation to face, I suppose this would be it. Yes, we’re reaching for positives here!

Mike Trout remains the big fish in this lineup, and has opened the season with a .291 average including 10 home runs and 21 RBI. Albert Pujols is a shell of his former self, but remains a legitimate threat and has managed to piece together a .231 average thus far with six home runs and 14 RBI.

David Freese, Johnny Giavotella and Erick Aybar round out the infield, with Aybar’s .285 average leading the pack after a disappointing start from Freese.

One area that the Angels continue to seek stability at is their 1B/DH compliment to Pujols. Matt Joyce has hit an ugly .143 with one home run through 105 at bats, while the young C.J. Cron has barely managed to climb above the .200 mark. Marc Krauss is currently getting his shot at the job, so keep an eye out for him towards the bottom of the order.

Next: Game 1: Sanchize looks to step up

May 13, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez (41) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Monday, May 18th – 1:07 ET

Aaron Sanchez will take the mound for the matinee opener of the series, and it’s time for the young righty to end his up-and-down start to 2015. His wild control has often been excused due to his ability to create strikeouts and ground balls, but with 24 walks over his past five starts, Sanchez is due to perform.

His latest outing against the Baltimore Orioles saw him surrender five earned runs over 5.2 innings pitched, walking four batters and striking out just one. The Los Angeles lineup has not been dangerous to this point and offers right-handed bats at it’s heart, so an aggressive approach from Sanchez could benefit him.

C.J. Wilson counters for the Angels, and he’s been red hot as of late. His last outing saw Wilson pitch 8.0 innings strong against the Colorado Rockies, allowing just two earned runs on five hits. Wilson will feature a fastball that touches 92 with a diverse arsenal of off-speed pitches throughout the count.

Next: Game 2: Hutch looks to stay hot

May 9, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Drew Hutchison (36) throws a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 7-1. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: Tuesday, May 19th – 7:07 ET

Game two sees Drew Hutchison take the mound with his ERA still sitting above 6.00 for the season. His past two outings have been very encouraging, however, allowing just one earned run in each. Most recently against the Houston Astros, Hutchison struck out nine batters over 6.0 innings, walking just one.

The strikeout capability has always been there for Hutchison and I do believe that he’s about to ease back into a groove, but the next step he will need to take is working deep into games. With none of the Blue Jays starters providing any guarantee of 7.0+ innings to give relief to a battered bullpen, Hutchison’s pitch count will be imperative to watch on Tuesday.

Hector Santiago will take the ball for Los Angeles and look to continue his recent tear. Excluding his May 2nd start against the San Francisco Giants, Santiago has allowed one earned run or less in five of his past six starts. The left-hander will lean heavily on a sinking fastball and cutter, with a changeup and slider that he uses sparingly later in counts.

Next: Game 3: Do something, Dickey

May 15, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) pitches during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Wednesday, May 20th – 7:07 ET

R.A. Dickey looks to quiet the doubters in the third game of this series while improving upon his 1-5 record. Dickey has allowed 17 hits for 13 earned runs over his last 11.0 innings pitched, and at a certain point, the Blue Jays cannot afford to stand idly by as Dickey costs them games while attempting to sort out the issues with his knuckleball.

Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to put Dickey. A stint in the Minor Leagues is wildly unlikely, while a trip to the bullpen makes very little sense. Barring a complete and utter breakdown, Toronto may be stuck with Dickey every fifth day and left to hope that something clicks. So far, it hasn’t been pretty, and it hasn’t looked close.

Thankfully for the Blue Jays, Jered Weaver will counter for the Angels and appears on the surface to be one of their more hittable pitchers to date. His 4.44 ERA and 2-4 record are scaring anyone, but his last two starts have been incredible. Following a complete game shutout of the Astros on May 8th, Weaver allowed just one run over 7.1 innings against Baltimore in his last outing. Weaver’s fastball sits in the mid 80’s while his curveball hovers between 65-70 MPH.

Next: Game 4: Estrada closes out the series

May 16, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Marco Estrada (25) pitches in the bottom of the first inning to the Houston Astros in the first inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Game 4: Thursday, May 21st – 7:07 ET

Marco Estrada is scheduled to take the hill for Toronto in their finale as he looks to hold off Daniel Norris for his starting job. He made a good case in his last outing, striking out eight batters over five innings against the Houston Astros.

While Estrada has performed admirably stretching himself out as a starter, it’s still evident that he was a better quality pitcher in a long-relief role. Unfortunately, the lack of starting pitching depth on the Blue Jays roster doesn’t allow for a simple re-shuffling of the deck, so Estrada will be given every opportunity to hang on to this job.

Matt Shoemaker will close it out for LA, and despite coming off his best start of the season, he’s looked fairly inconsistent to date. Shoemaker enters with a 5.63 ERA and shouldn’t cause the Blue Jays’ bats too many issues (knock on wood). The right-hander will feature a fastball that hovers around 90 MPH with a changeup that he uses nearly one third of the time.

Next: Blue Jays poll: Who would you part with?

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