Series Preview: Blue Jays Aim to Flatten the Phillies

Aug 12, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

(43) delivers a pitch against Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: R.A. Dickey (7-10, 3.96 ERA) vs Aaron Nola (3-1, 4.25 ERA)

Dickey has emerged as a legit number 2 or 3 in the Jays rotation. Since the all-star break he is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.79 in 6 starts. There were those who were worried at the beginning of the season (myself included) that the Blue Jays could not win with Dickey in the rotation. He had seemed to be slowly eroding from his 2012 Cy Young season and was almost a detriment to the team as a contender (April 0-3, 5.23 ERA and May 2-2, 6.27 ERA). Since that start to the season Dickey has been lights out. A floating knuckler being tossed to a lineup of up-and-comers spells trouble for the Phillies.

Nola has been a decent addition to the rotation for the Phillies. As the 7th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Nola has skyrocketed through the Phillies organization and firmly planted himself with the big club. There will be growing pains as he progresses but if he can do this well a year removed from Louisiana Sate then it surely spells trouble for the rest of MLB in the seasons to come. He was great in July but has regressed a little bit in August (5.06 ERA) so he may be ripe for the picking.

Next: Game 2 Preview: Buehrle on the bump