The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to avoid being swept by the Texas Rangers on Sunday and have made some changes to their lineup.
Toronto is coming off a 6-2 loss on Saturday after losing 7-1 on Friday. The two losses seemingly ended the Blue Jays’ playoff hopes.
The Blue Jays are now 76-79.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Brandon Valenzuela News
Toronto is looking to avoid the series sweep and has made some major changes to its lineup.
The Blue Jays are resting some regular players, as starting catcher Alejandro Kirk is getting the day off, with Brandon Valenzuela getting the start. He will also be hitting eighth.
Toronto’s lineup on Sunday is as follows:
- B. Bateman CF
- V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
- N. Lukes RF
- K. Okamoto 3B
- S. Keys DH
- J. Smith LF
- A. Giménez SS
- B. Valenzuela C
- E. Clement 2B
Toronto will start Spencer Miles as the opener, as it’s a bullpen game with Spencer Arrighetti getting the bulk of the innings.
Kirk getting the day off isn’t a surprise, as Valenzuela has been catching and starting a lot on Sunday to give Kirk the day off in the series finale.
Valenzuela is a great defensive catcher with a cannon of an arm, yet his bat has struggled as of late. He’s hitting .217 with 8 home runs and 21 RBIs. However, in his last 7 games, he’s hitting .105 with 0 home runs and 0 RBIs, while striking out 5 times.
Toronto Right Now
The Blue Jays have struggled all year, and now their playoff fate is likely sealed.
Toronto lost the first two games of a three-game road series against Texas, which seemingly ended their playoff hopes. The Blue Jays have been blown out in both of their games against the Rangers, which is frustrating for the team.
Jose Soriano struggled in the outing, which was frustrating for the team as the Blue Jays sent Dylan Cease and Soriano, their two best pitchers, in the first two games.
“We’re still positive. Doesn’t matter the result, we’re still positive,” said Soriano. “We’re not going to win every game we play. The other team’s trying to win, too. So, we try to control what we can control and play one game at a time.”
The Blue Jays will go on a three-game road trip against the Baltimore Orioles starting on Monday. Toronto will end its season with a three-game home series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Toronto likely has to finish the year 7-0 to have any shot of making the playoffs.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Brandon Valenzuela News During Rangers Series