The Toronto Blue Jays have made a major change to their pitching plans for their series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Toronto is set to kick off a pivotal three-game road series against Cleveland on Tuesday. The Blue Jays enter the series just 1.5 games back of the Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
Ahead of the series, Spencer Arrighetti was expected to start the opener, but that is no longer the case.
Toronto is coming off a series sweep of the Seattle Mariners.
Blue Jays Announce New Starter For Guardians Series
Toronto won’t start Arrighetti on Tuesday as expected.
The Blue Jays announced that star reliever Spencer Miles will open the game, with Arrighetti getting the bulk of the innings.
Spencer Arrighetti likely follows for the bulk role. #BlueJays
“Spencer Miles will open tonight’s game in Cleveland. Spencer Arrighetti likely follows for the bulk role,” Keegan Matheson wrote on X.
With the Blue Jays needing to win the series against Cleveland, Toronto is getting creative with its pitching staff.
Arrighetti struggled in the first inning in his last outing against the Kansas City Royals, as he allowed two runs in the first inning and four runs in the first two innings.
So, the Blue Jays are opting to start Miles, who will likely pitch the first inning or two. Miles is 5-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 42 games, including 5 starts this season.
Arrighetti, meanwhile, is 7-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 19 games, including 18 starts. With Toronto, he’s 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in 2 games, including 1 start, as the Jays used an opener for him in his first outing.
First pitch between the Blue Jays and Guardians is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Toronto Right Now
The Blue Jays are coming off a series sweep of the Mariners at home over the weekend to get back into the playoff picture.
Toronto is now set for a pivotal three-game series against the Guardians as the Blue Jays are pumped to be back in playoff contention.
“This is what you play for, this is what’s fun,” Scherzer said of Toronto’s playoff push. “When you’re in the hunt, you have to win. The pressure is on. You have to go out there and do something about it. I love these moments. We’re in a fight and we have to fight all the way until the end.”
Blue Jays manager John Schneider, meanwhile, said Toronto is playing playoff baseball already.
“We’ve been saying we’re playing post-season games the last three weeks,” said Schneider. “It’s kind of right there in front of us, so you got to enjoy the off day and rest up and be ready to just keep your foot on the gas.”
The Blue Jays are 68-70.
Blue Jays Announce Pitching Change Ahead of Pivotal Guardians Series