Sunday, April 30, 2017

no. 25 2017: Rays (12-13) at Blue Jays (7-17)



Sunday 30 April 2017
1:07PM EDT / Rogers Centre
Chris Archer (RHP 2-1 3.94 32K) v. Aaron Sanchez (RHP 0-1 4.38 9K)


The early returns on Smoak's contract extension are awfully tasty, eh? Ditto Pillar's often talked-about new-found approach at the plate. Jose's arm sure seems as good as, errrm...new? Old? Something like that. Osuna, too, looked much better yesterday. And the real kicker? Aaron Sanchez gets the nod in this afternoon's rubber match. The future is a li'l brighter, this grey Sunday in Ottawa.

Of Note: Blue Jays' DH Kendrys Morales sports a gaudy .579 average in nineteen at-bats versus Rays' SP Chris Archer. Not many hit Archer well -- not many hit Archer period, for that matter -- but even fewer do so at such a prodigious clip. Fingers crossed he keeps it up. Today's outing will mark SP Sanchez's first appearance in just o'er two weeks the result of blister / fingernail issues. Tina Tuner was right: the big wheel keeps on turnin'.

Line-Ups:

Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Pillar (R) CF
Jose Bautista (R) RF
Kendrys Morales (S) DH
Justin Smoak (S) 1B
Russell Martin (R) C
Steve Pearce (R) LF
Devon Travis (R) 2B
Ryan Goins (L) SS
Darwin Barney (R) 3B

Tampa Bay Rays
Corey Dickerson (L) LF
Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF
Evan Longoria (R) 3B
Brad Miller (L) 2B
Rickie Weeks Jr. (R) DH
Logan Morrison (L) 1B
Derek Norris (R) C
Shane Peterson (L) RF
Daniel Robertson (R) SS

This is your game thread: "Archer? Archer?! AAARCHEEEER!!" Edition.