Baseball games can completely flip with one swing of the bat, something the Toronto Blue Jays (5-3) and Los Angeles Angels (4-3) experienced Friday night when Bo Bichette launched a three-run homer in the seventh inning. That's the swing that earned Toronto their fifth win of the season while spoiling the Angels' home opener in Anaheim. Los Angeles can exact immediate revenge, as another battle begins at 9:07 p.m. EST on Saturday. Angel Stadium is the venue again, as these playoff hopefuls duke it out.
Flow the LEAD ?? #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/KPZzF60uBk
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 8, 2023
Toronto got off to a slow start, especially with pitching, but they've won their last four ahead of this one. It helps that the middle of their lineup is scorching right now, with Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Matt Chapman all entering this game with an OPS over .900. This was one of the scariest lineups in 2022, and with the team slowly rediscovering the home run, it seems as if 2023 will be quite the encore. They're second in hits, eighth in OBP, and 10th in runs after Friday night's win.
The pitching staff has stabilized after allowing 31 runs in the first four games. They've only given up seven runs since then, bringing their ERA down to 4.43. They're still bottom-10 in hits allowed, but back to respectable in most other aspects.
Jose Berrios will hope to feed off his teammates' recent outings since his first one was putrid. In 2022, the former All-Star had the worst season of his MLB career since he was a rookie, leading the majors in hits allowed and earned runs allowed. His first start this season was in a similar vein, as Berrios was tagged for nine hits and eight runs in 5.2 innings. Shohei Ohtani has excellent career numbers against Berrios, so he may be in danger if he allows runners to get on in front of Ohtani.
This is a team with aspirations of not only another playoff trip, but winning the AL East. Based on how they've played since their opening series ended, those dreams are attainable.