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

Jun 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (56) throws against the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Wednesday, July 1st   –   1:07 ET

Mark Buehrle vs. Rick Porcello

The Blue Jays send their All-American Hero to the mound for Canada Day as Mark Buehrle looks for his ninth win on the season. Dating back to Buehrle’s complete game shutout against the Washington Nationals to kick off the month, he’s posted an incredible 1.75 ERA to go along with a 0.972 WHIP.

This run has dropped Buehrle’s ERA to 3.81, and signals him leaving a moderate dip in performance that dates back to mid-season 2014. He’ll never pile up strikeout numbers or wow on the radar gun, but Buehrle is the ideal pitcher to have with an offense like Toronto’s. If Buehrle holds the opponent to three runs or less, which he’ll do more times than not, the Jays are in the driver’s seat.

Rick Porcello is scheduled to pitch for Boston on Wednesday, but his stat line to this point hasn’t been worthy of a spot in the rotation. Porcello owns one of the highest ERA’s among eligible MLB starters at 5.54 and has allowed less than three earned runs just once over the past month. Walks haven’t particularly been a problem for the righty, but missing bats has been a huge struggle.

Next: Finale: Matt Boyd, part two!