The Toronto Blue Jays continue their road trip as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies in a two-game series. Toronto is in third place in the highly competitive AL East with a record of 21-14 thus far. The Phillies come into this brief series after ending a six-game losing streak on Sunday with a win over Boston. The pitching matchup to kick off the series will feature Blue Jays' righty Alek Manoah (1-2, 4.71) taking on Phillies' righty Aaron Nola (2-2, 4.64). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM EST.
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The Toronto Blue Jays left Boston licking their wounds after being swept by the Red Sox in four straight games. The Blue Jays quickly turned things around against NL Central Division-leading Pittsburgh with a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh. On Sunday, after rain delayed the start of the game, the Blue Jays downed the Pirates 10-1 to complete the sweep. Yusei Kikuchi pitched 6.1 scoreless innings and the Blue Jays' offense pounded out 15 hits, including three home runs, to complete the sweep.
“That's what this lineup is capable of,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “You don't have to be so reliant on the top four. … It's a pretty dangerous lineup.”
“I'm using last year as fuel for this year” – Yusei Kikuchi ?? #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/h6FG60LLDV
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJay s) May 8, 2023
The Blue Jays will hand the ball off to burly right-hander Alek Manoah in game one. Manoah, the 2022 all-star, has pitched better as of late and comes in with a record of 1-2 with a 4.71 ERA in seven starts with just two of them quality starts. Manoah has given up 39 hits in 36.1 innings this season and has a K/9 ratio of 7.7. Manoah has been better on the road, going 1-1 with a 2.85 ERA in four starts, two of them quality starts. His K/9 ratio on the road is 6.4. Manoah's hard-hit rate has jumped to over 40% this season after hovering just over 30% during his first two seasons. His K/9 ratio has dipped to a career-low 18.1 % as well. Manoah's ERA is 2.12 in his last three starts.
Key Injuries: 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr. is listed as day-to-day.