Toronto Blue Jays hunting 12th straight win versus Mets

Jun 13, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) hits a home run during the eleventh inning of game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Blue Jays won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays have forgotten how to lose.  After a month of May that saw the club lose games of all varieties while the offense and pitching staff failed to click on the same night, June has seen the Toronto Blue Jays shoot back up the division standings in the AL East with an 11-game winning streak.

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Toronto now sits just one game back of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, both of whom have gone 7-3 over their past ten games.  They’ll continue their road trip with a stop in New York to face the Mets on Monday, who sit atop the NL East with a 34-30 record following a slow start from the division rival Nationals.

Offense will continue to be the calling card for the Toronto Blue Jays as they’ve topped ten runs in three of their past six games.  The starting pitching will need to right itself, however, as recent rocky outings from Marco Estrada and Drew Hutchison have been covered up by the surging lineup.

Mark Buehrle will lead off the series for Toronto and will be followed by Scott Copeland, who fills in once again for the “sore” Aaron Sanchez.  Drew Hutchison will take the mound in game three with R.A. Dickey closing out the series on Thursday, while the Mets will counter with Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese and the majestic Bartolo Colon.

Next: Leading off: A look across the diamond at the Mets

May 27, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda (21) hits a double against the Philadelphia Phillies during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Across the Diamond:  New York Mets

The Mets have benefitted from a poor division at times, but a strong pitching staff has built a well-earned level of excitement around this team.  Syndergaard, the former Blue Jay who was traded to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey deal, is one of the game’s top young arms, while Matt Harvey possesses true ace talent.  Don’t forget the scorching-hot Jacob DeGrom, either, who Toronto are fortunate to miss in this series.

Offensively, the Mets are not as strong.  The lineup is led by lefty power bat Lucas Duda, who is out to a modest .278 start with 9 HR and 28 RBI.  Shortstop Wilmer Flores (.249, 10 HR, 30 RBI) leads the team in runs batted in, but has been a defensive liability, while Curtis Granderson, Michael Cuddyer and ex-Jay Travis d’Arnaud have all chipped in with the bats.

New York sits near the middle of the league in home runs, but slips into the bottom third of team rankings when it comes to runs scored, cumulative batting average and on-base percentage.  One stat to know leading into this series: the Blue Jays have scored over 100 runs more than the New York Mets.  If this series turns into a battle of the bats, it favours Toronto.

The Mets will obviously hope that their pitching can play a more dominant role, as their 3.55 team ERA is good for seventh in the Major Leagues.  New York sits fifth in the league with 38 quality starts in 64 games, and ranks eighth in total strikeouts.

Next: Game 1: Buehrle leads the quest for a dozen

Jun 3, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (5) congratulates starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (56) after his complete game win over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Toronto Blue Jays defeated Washington Nationals 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1:  Monday, June 15th  –  7:10 ET (Citi Field)

Veteran lefty Mark Buehrle takes the ball for game one in New York, and his turnaround over the past month has been one of the driving forces behind Toronto’s recent rise in the AL East.  After his impressive back-to-back complete games, Buehrle lasted 6.0 innings in his last outing against the Miami Marlins, allowing just two runs while striking out three.

Former Blue Jays’ top prospect Noah Syndergaard has shown a little bit of everything since making his first start of the season on May 12th.  The righty looked very strong in his first four outings, but has hit a wall over his last two starts as he’s allowed 20 hits and 11 earned runs over 10.0 innings.  Still, there’s no denying his talent.

Syndergaard will work comfortably in the mid-90’s with his fastball, often touching 97 MPH.  He’ll also feature a sinker, changeup and a violently-breaking curveball later in counts.  His control has yet to be his downfall with just 1.56 BB/9, so Toronto’s best approach may be aggression at the dish.  The Blue Jays are on of the MLB’s stronger teams against hard-throwing pitchers.

Next: Game 2: David vs. Goliath on the mound

Jun 10, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Scott Copeland (28) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2:  Tuesday, June 16th  –  7:10 ET (Citi Field)

Toronto will turn to Scott Copeland for his second start of the season in game two of the series as Aaron Sanchez has hit the DL with some quietly worrying “upper body soreness”.  The hope is that Sanchez requires just one more day of rest before re-assuming his role in the rotation, but in the meantime, Copeland is the man.

That’s not a bad thing, as Copeland held the Miami Marlins to just one earned run on six hits in his first start, striking out four.  He’s a ground ball machine, and opposing hitters consistently have trouble hitting the lower half of the baseball, resulting in a steady dose of infield choppers.

With Matt Harvey countering for the Mets, the Jays may be catching the star pitcher at the right time.  A string of poor outings has recently ballooned his ERA to a still-just-fine 3.62 as he’s allowed seven earned runs in two of his past four outings.  Like Syndergaard, Harvey will sit in the mid-90’s with his fastball, which he compliments with a strong curveball, slider and changeup.

Next: Game 3: Back to T.O. for Hutch

Jun 12, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison (36) delivers a pitch during the first inning of the game at against the Toronto Blue Jays Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3:  Wednesday, June 17th  –  7:07 (Rogers Centre)

The teams return to the Rogers Centre for the final two games of the series, which is likely welcome news to game three starter Drew Hutchison.  Stretching back to early May, Hutchison seemed to be progressing through his struggles and emerging as a dependable starting option for the Blue Jays.  That all fell apart in his last outing, though, as he allowed eight earned runs on nine hits over just 2.1 innings pitched.

Jon Niese will be on the mound for the Mets and is coming off back-to-back quality starts that put an end to some serious struggles.  Niese now sits with a 3-6 record accompanied by a 4.24 ERA, but his 1.49 WHIP best shows that the Blue Jays likely won’t be overpowered in this matchup.

Niese will offer a downswing in velocity from the first two games with a fastball that rests just below 90 MPH.  He adds cutting and sinking action throughout the game, and will turn to a curveball and changeup without much hesitation throughout the count.

Next: Game 4: Dickey closes out the series