The Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox at the Dome on Monday night.
| Toronto | Chicago | |
| Monday 7:07 | LH Jaime Garcia (5-10, 4.41)* | RH Reynaldo Lopez (3-3, 4.72)* |
| Tuesday 7:07 | LH J.A. Happ (0-1, 3.86) | RH Miguel Gonzalez (8-13, 4.62)* |
| Wednesday 7:07 | RH Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 6.35) | RH Carson Fulmer (3-1, 3.86)* |
*indicates 2017 stats
Garcia, plus all three White Sox starters, will be making their 2018 debuts … The numbers don’t look great for either Happ or Sanchez, but both were strong in their opening starts, and will look to build on that by exploiting a mostly young White Sox lineup.
Who’s Hot / Who’s Not
Toronto
| HOT | 1B Justin Smoak: 7-15, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1.529 OPS |
| HOT | CF Kevin Pillar: 6-13, 1 double, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 3 SB, 1.269 OPS |
| NOT | DH Kendrys Morales: 0-6, 2 K, limited to just 1 start in first 3 games |
| NOT | 2B Devon Travis: 1-12, 6 K |
| NOT | 3B Josh Donaldson: 2-13, 6 K |
Through the first two games of the series, it looked like the offense may struggle as much as many predicted it would before the season. But thanks to a couple of blowups from what is expected to be a very strong Yankees bullpen, the Blue Jays might have found their stride offensively … They need more from Travis and Donaldson at the top of the lineup, and have to find a way to get Morales more regular reps, after being limited to pinch hitting duties since his only start of the season on Opening Day. The hope is Donaldson could be back at third base as early as Monday, which will allow Morales to resume his regular DH spot in the lineup.
Chicago
| HOT | DH Matt Davidson: 4-7, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2.524 OPS |
| HOT | RF Avasail Garcia: 4-10, 1 double, .900 OPS |
| HOT | SS Tim Anderson: 3-8, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1.569 OPS |
| NOT | LF Nicky Delmonico: 0-5 |
| NOT | C Wellington Castillo: 1-for-9, 3 K |
The White Sox were rained out Sunday and thus have played just two games so far in 2018. The sample sizes are unbelievably small, but Matt Davidson will be a player to watch in this series. He had three home runs against Toronto last season … 1B Jose Abreu and 2B Yoan Moncada will be the focal points offensively for a young White Sox team look to start the upward trajectory of their rebuild.
Ex-Files
Toronto:
- Tyler Clippard pitched in 11 games for the south siders in 2017, pitching to a 1.80 ERA before being dealt to the Houston Astros
Chicago:
- RHP Danny Farquhar made his MLB debut with Toronto in 2011, making three relief appearances
In The Hole
After an off day Thursday, the Jays will hit the road for the first time in 2018, embarking on a nine-game, three city road trip. They’ll visit Texas from Friday-Sunday, Baltimore Monday through Wednesday, and wrap things up with a three-game weekend set in Cleveland.
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