Series preview: Will Blue Jays’ bats come alive against lowly A’s?

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays will look to take advantage of the last-place Oakland Athletics during a three-game series this weekend at Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays took the past two games from the Miami Marlins to end their three-city, nine-game road trip.

They return to Toronto, where they hold a 19-13 record, for a nine-game homestand that kicks off Friday night.

The club has spent most of June facing off against contending teams. This series represents a stark difference as the A’s are the worst team in MLB.

Here’s a look at the series.

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Probable Pitchers

Friday, 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT: Oakland RHP James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.38 ERA) vs. Toronto RHP Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.16 ERA)

Saturday, 4:07 p.m. ET / 1:07 p.m. PT: Oakland LHP Hogan Harris (2-1, 4.45 ERA) vs. Toronto RHP José Berríos (7-5, 3.64 ERA)

Sunday, 1:37 p.m. ET / 10:37 a.m. PT: Oakland RHP Luis Medina (1-6, 7.01 ERA) vs. Toronto LHP Yusei Kikuchi (6-2, 3.97 ERA)

All games are on Sportsnet and SN NOW.

Latest on the Blue Jays 

The Blue Jays (41-35) arrived in Miami earlier this week having dropped two straight series to the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. However, a dominant performance by Yusei Kikuchi and the bullpen helped the Blue Jays edge out a win on Wednesday, and the club followed that by getting to 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara early in Thursday’s victory.

That offensive outburst — in which the Blue Jays scored five runs in the second inning — was significant because this club has had plenty of trouble pushing runs across the plate lately.

The Blue Jays have scored just 72 runs in 20 games this month, for an average of 3.6 runs per game. The club’s inability to hit with runners in scoring position has come into focus in recent weeks, as has its power output. The Blue Jays rank ninth in the AL with 84 home runs and have only homered once in their past four games.

We’ll see if a dose of Oakland’s pitching staff impacts that.

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Latest on the Athletics

The A’s (19-58) enjoyed a surprising seven-game win streak earlier this month, but then got right back to being the A’s. The club has now dropped eight straight games and is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians. Oakland has been held to three runs or less seven times during its current losing skid.

Featuring a roster that’s been stripped down considerably over the past few seasons, the A’s have allowed the most runs in baseball this season and scored the least.

Adding to the club’s woes is that its relocation to Las Vegas has loomed large in recent weeks, casting a huge shadow on the team and its on-field product.

One of the exciting elements to the rebuilding A’s, though, is rookie centre-fielder Esteury Ruiz. He’s definitely a player to keep an eye on this weekend as the 24-year-old leadoff hitter leads the majors with 39 stolen bases and boasts a sprint speed that ranks in the 98th percentile.

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How’s Bo Doing?

Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette was a late scratch for Wednesday’s game due to left thumb soreness. He began experiencing the issue in Tuesday’s contest and the hope is that sitting Wednesday, coupled with Thursday’s off day, would offer his body some time to heal.

His status bares watching, and if he returns to the lineup this weekend, it’ll be interesting to see if he’s dealing with any lingering discomfort.

Bichette, who was named a finalist for an AL all-star starting spot on Thursday, has been in a mini-slump of his own, hitting .240 (12-for-50) with no home runs over his past 12 games. During that span, he’s drawn just one walk and struck out 10 times.

Welcome Back Ryan … Kind Of

Here’s some trivia for you: Who was the Player to be Named Later in the August 2020 trade that brought Ross Stripling to the Blue Jays?

The answer: Ryan Noda.

Noda was selected in the 15th round of the 2017 draft by the Blue Jays and was shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2021 to complete the previous summer’s deal for Stripling. Noda developed into a productive bat in the Dodgers’ system — he hit 29 home runs with a .904 OPS in double-A in 2021 and then 25 homers with an .870 OPS in 2022 at triple-A.

The left-handed hitting first baseman was claimed by the A’s in last year’s Rule 5 Draft and has continued to rake at the big-league level with his new club.

Noda has cranked eight homers and 13 doubles to go along with a 133 OPS-plus in 72 games this season. The 27-year-old rookie’s plate discipline has also been quite impressive with his 50 walks leading the AL.

Yes, it’s low-hanging fruit to write that the Blue Jays could use that type of production in their lineup now. Nonetheless, the club will have an up-close look at what could have been when Noda steps to the batter’s box this weekend.

Up Next

After an off day on Monday, the Blue Jays will open a three-game set at Rogers Centre against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

More from Sportsnet

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