The Toronto Blue Jays could unveil their top prospect on Saturday.
Catcher Gabriel Moreno wasn’t active for the Blue Jays’ series opener in Detroit on Friday but he’s with the club. He’s expected to be in the starting lineup for the second game of the three-game series.
Moreno, 22, was batting .324 at Triple-A Buffalo.
It’s not like the Blue Jays need a boost offensively. They won the first game of the series, 10-1, on Friday while racking up eight extra-base hits in the first six innings.
Toronto has won 12 of its last 15 while scoring six or more runs in 11 of those 12 victories.
“We’re in a good spot,” said George Springer, who had three hits, including a home run, on Friday. “We’re right around the 60-game mark and you’re seeing guys start to settle in and just go out there and be who they are. It’s a good day for us as a whole but it’s on to tomorrow.”
Kevin Gausman (5-4, 2.78 ERA) will make his 12th start of the season for the Blue Jays. Gausman had his shortest outing in his last appearance against Minnesota on Sunday, as he allowed five runs (three earned) and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Gausman was frustrated by his performance afterward.
“To go out there and do that is unacceptable, to be honest,” he said. “We’ve got another one in five days, so we’ll take a look at some things and go from there.”
The Twins were laying off his usually devastating splitter, which prompted him to wonder if he was tipping that pitch.
“You have to tip your cap sometimes when they just don’t swing,” Gausman said. “Some of their guys laid off some really good splitters that I was kind of flabbergasted they didn’t swing at. You have to keep competing and making pitches. We made an adjustment, and unfortunately, I threw a lot of pitches. It was a grind all day and it was obviously my worst outing of the year. I’m going to take a look at some things and see what I can find.”
Gausman is 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA in eight career starts against the Tigers.
Detroit rookie Beau Brieske (0-5, 4.93 ERA) is still seeking his first major-league victory, though he deserved a better fate in his last start. He held the powerful New York Yankees lineup to two runs on three hits and struck out seven in six innings in a 3-0 loss on June 4.
Brieske surrendered three home runs in his previous start against the Twins. He’s given up 12 in 42 innings on the season.
Improved control of his slider led to Brieske’s improved performance against the Yankees.
“It’s like having an extra tool in your bag, especially when you are throwing it for strikes,” he said. “They have to respect it and can’t really guess what’s coming. Having the slider allowed me to throw heaters in counts where they took it because they were not expecting it. I think it opened up a lot for me.”
The Tigers, who have been ravaged by injuries, continue to be jinxed. Prior to the game, manager A.J. Hinch announced that starting pitcher Casey Mize would require season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Outfielder Robbie Grossman was activated prior to Friday’s game after recovering from a neck strain. He then had to exit in the eighth inning after fouling a ball off his leg.
–Field Level Media