Matt is Back

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 Simon B

In my last post, I mentioned that getting out of the Bronx with 2 wins would mean the Jays had a good series in New York and they did just that. I'm going to toss myself a bone here because as I predicted, the two best players of Toronto in that series were Alex Manoah and Vladimir Guerreo Jr. Both had outstanding performances (Manoah in game one and Vladdy in game 3). 

We can dwell over the fact that they got shut out in both their losses (one to Nestor Cortez and the other to Luis Severino) but it's too early to be talking about offensive slumps. Especially against a good pitching staff like the one the Yankees have to offer. All in all, it was an up and down week for the Bluebirds but 2 of a possible 4 wins isn't bad at all.

That said, this upcoming weekend series with the Oakland Athletics is bound to be one the Jays should dominate. Most notably, however, Matt Chapman will be facing his former side for the first time. I'm sure his adrenaline will be pumping Friday night.

Golden Third Baseman

Chapman will receive his gold glove award tonight before the game. I think it's cool that he will be able to accept his hardware in front of both his home fans and former teammates (with who he won the award last season). It will be similar to Marcus Semien getting his Silver Slugger award on opening night as a member of the Rangers. 

All that aside, Chapman will still have three games to play and I have a feeling this could be a breakout series for him. Here's why:

If we simply look at Matt's favorite pitches to hit, we can see he feasts on offspeed stuff such as changeups and fastballs. Coincidentlly, Friday's starter Daulton Jeffries throws those two pitches 70% of the time. This should definitely play to his advantage. However, the A's know him very well and probably have a very specific game plan to attack him. His ability to adjust during at-bats will be crucial throughout this series as the A probably has his number.

On the flip side of the ball, the advantage becomes Chapman's as he will be able to relay Oakland's offensive tendencies to the infield.

The Extra Day

A big part of making sure Hyun-Jin Ryu stays healthy and successful this season is getting him an extra day's rest here and there. Therefore, Ross Stripling will get the ball in the opener and Ryu will pitch Saturday afternoon.

Early on, Oakland has been very patient early in at-bats so this will give Toronto's pitchers (most importantly, Ryu) to get ahead early in the count. If Hyun-Jin can have most of his pitches working at once, it will be very hard for the A's to get back into counts as Ryu's unpredictable pitching style can easily get the better of them. 

In terms of the Stripling starting on Friday, I won't want to look too deep into that. He isn't a regular starter and all we really need from him is to keep the game relatively close for 5 innings or so and hopefully let the offense do its thing against Jeffries.

What to Look for

Toronto will now head into the next month or so without one of their primary catchers in Danny Jansen and one of the big bats at the top of the order in Teoscar Hernandez. This means that we will need to see some important roles be filled. Players who were brought in to be depth pieces like Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer are suddenly thrust into everyday play and Alejandro Kirk will be doing the majority of the catching duties. On the days' Kirk is either off or in the DH spot, Zach Collins or Taylor Heineman will have to step up.

I know that these players aren't exactly world beaters but if they can weather the storm until Jano and Teo get back it would be a massive achievement for them and a breath of fresh air for the Jays.

75th for 42

Tonight will mark the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's historic Debut. On April 15th, 1947, Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. Following him, hundreds of black baseball players have brought their talent to the field and contributed to making the game what it is today. Robinson's courage changed the game for the better and the impacts of his acts are still ringing out today. All players across the league tonight will be wearing number 42 to honor the great Jackie Robinson.

What's a Win

It's simple here: Sweep the series. They have much tougher games coming up so racking up wins while they can prove to be crucial down the stretch.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment in the comment section below or send me a message directly if you'd like. You can also follow shoots left and writes on Twitter @sports_slaw. And if you like what you read, please go ahead and give this page a follow.

Images courtesy of yahoosports.com and nytimes.com
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Location: Toronto, ON, Canada

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