Toronto Blue Jays look to bury Red Sox in AL East race

Jun 24, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Marco Estrada (25) is congratulated in the dugout at the end of the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: Tuesday, June 30th   –   7:07 ET

Marco Estrada vs. Eduardo Rodriguez

Estrada has knocked on the door of a no-hitter in each of his last two starts and it’s becoming blatantly clear that he’s established himself as a legitimate starter for Toronto. His changeup is working wonders as a primary pitch, allowing him to surprise hitters with a fastball that wouldn’t typically have a great impact by itself.

This start will be a great test for Estrada. Coming off two fantastic outings that featured two heavy pitch counts, all eyes are on him as the league asks “Is Estrada for real?”. Just three starts ago he struggled against the Red Sox, allowing five earned runs over 5.0 innings while walking three, so he’ll be looking for redemption. Estrada is 4-0 in his last five starts.

Rookie Eduardo Rodriguez will take the mound for Boston, and his early results have been all over the place. In six Major League starts, the lefty has allowed 6+ earned runs twice, but one or less in his other four outings.

The Blue Jays batters will be glad to see Rodriguez come back around as their meeting on June 14th was the worst showing of his young career. Rodriguez allowed nine earned runs over 4.2 IP and looked entirely overmatched by a lineup heavy with right-handed bats.

Next: Game 3: Canada Day matinee!