Blue Jays face Giants in Interleague clash: Full series preview

Pitchers: grab your bats. The Toronto Blue Jays are heading to San Francisco

Following their series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Centre, the Toronto Blue Jays travel to California to open a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants.

San Francisco is coming off a four-game split with the Colorado Rockies on the road, but their 5-3 record in May has put them back over .500 at 17-16, good for second place in the National League West behind the Dodgers.

Entering play on Sunday, the Giants ranked third in the league with 161 runs scored behind only the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. Their raw power numbers don’t top the league, but they rank fifth in team batting average (.271) and really separate themselves with an on-base percentage of .346, the third-highest in baseball.

Their pitching, however, has been another story. The Giants’ staff holds a collective 4.41 ERA and has surrendered a .276 opponent’s batting average.

Across the Diamond: San Francisco Giants

Buster Posey continues to lead the way for the Giants, but according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, he could receive a scheduled day of rest for game one of the series. Posey entered play Sunday hitting an even .300 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.

First baseman Brandon Belt is enjoying an excellent season of his own, batting .317 with four home runs, while outfielder Hunter Pence has been a run-producing machine with 24 RBIs.

Angel Pagan may, or may not, return for this series after dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out for the games in Colorado. Shortstop Brandon Crawford is another name to watch in the Giants lineup. He’s been swinging a very hot bat lately and providing some value from the bottom third.

In the bullpen, closer Santiago Casilla has seven saves and hasn’t allowed an earned run in three weeks. With Sergio Romo and George Kontos both on the disabled list, the Giants have been forced to lean more heavily on Hunter Strickland, Cory Gearrin, Derek Law, and Josh Osich.

Let’s dive in to the three pitching matchups ahead in San Fran:

Next: Game 1 Preview: Sanchez versus Peavy

Game 1:  Monday, May 9th  –  10:15 p.m.

Aaron Sanchez (2-1, 2.82 ERA)  vs.
Jake Peavy (1-3, 9.00 ERA)

No longer the pitcher of his San Diego Padres days, the 34-year-old Peavy has gotten off to an awfully rough start in 2016 with the Giants. In his first six games of the season, Peavy has allowed four or more runs five different times.

His last two starts have been especially difficult. On April 29th against the New York Mets, Peavy allowed six runs in just two innings of work as his control completely abandoned him (five walks). Last time out against the Cincinnati Reds, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits over six innings pitched, but did manage an 8:1 K:BB rate.

Much of this can be traced to his velocity, which has taken a dip across the board through the first month of the season.

Peavy’s fastball is averaging 88.7 MPH, down from 90.1 MPH last year with the Giants. Peavy will throw a four-seamer, two-seamer, and cutter. He’s also been struggling to find success with his curveball, a pitch he’s thrown 15.6% of the time.

Sanchez, on the other hand, is coming off another very strong outing for the Blue Jays. It was a critical start for the young right-hander, too, because he made things work without having his best stuff.

Over seven innings against the Texas Rangers, Sanchez allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out five. That came after a seven-inning shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays, distancing Sanchez from his rough outing against Oakland.

Across his entire major league and minor league career, Sanchez has yet to take an at-bat. Perhaps those long arms will give him some added plate coverage versus Peavy…

Next: Game 2 Preview: 4-0 Happ versus the 0-4 Cain

Game 2: Tuesday, May 10th  –  10:15 p.m.

J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.50 ERA) vs.
Matt Cain (0-4, 7.84 ERA)

The undefeated Happ is set to face the winless Cain: what could go wrong?

Happ has been a revelation for the Blue Jays this season, carrying over his success from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015. His three-year, $36 million contract is quickly becoming one of the more valuable moves from the past offseason.

His last time out against the Rangers, Happ threw seven strong innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits and striking out five batters.

His ability to work deep into ball games has been the most impressive part of Happ’s game. His 172.0 innings from last season represents a career high, but he’s thrown at least six innings in every start this season. In three of his last four starts, he’s made it a full seven.

With a long National League track-record, Happ has 16 hits in 215 plate appearances (.089 AVG). He did homer with the Houston Astros back in 2011, though, and has doubled twice!

Matt Cain counters for the Giants, and much like Peavy, he’ll be glad to see the first quarter of the season pass. After beginning the year with some uneven starts, his last two trips to the mound have been much more difficult.

The 31-year-old right-hander allowed six earned runs to the Rockies on May 5th, giving up 10 hits over four innings and failing to record a single strikeout. In his start prior on April 30th against the Mets, Cain allowed six earned once again, this time on seven hits across six innings.

Cain has already allowed six home runs this season, an unusually high number for him, though he also had an inflated home run rate in 2015. Opposing hitters have posted a .328 average off the career-long Giant as he’s struggled to strand base runners (55.8 LOB%).

Next: Game 3 Preview: Both sides save their best for last