Toronto Blue Jays face capital foe in Washington Nationals

May 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) prior to the start of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1:  Monday, June 1st  –  7:05 ET

R.A. Dickey will take the ball in game one for the Blue Jays, which shouldn’t be a reason for celebration.  In Dickey’s last seven starts, he has allowed four or more earned runs seven times.  A complete game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 21st inspired some quiet hope around Toronto, but his most recent outing saw the kunckler regress, allowing five runs on eight hits over 5.0 innings pitched.

Jordan Zimmerman will counter for Washington, and in his past eight starts, he’s allowed four or more runs zero times.  His record now sits at 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, and Zimmerman has been building momentum consistently over the past few weeks.

Zimmerman has lost a little zip off his fastball this season, but can still reach 92-93 MPH with consistency. He will also feature a sweeping slider on nearly one quarter of his pitches and will infrequently pull out a curveball that he likes to bury in the dirt late in counts.

Next: Game 2: Estrada vs. Scherzer? Help!