The Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their road trip on Sunday afternoon in the third and final game of their weekend series in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Sunday's pitching matchup will feature left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (4-0, 4.42) of the Blue Jays matching up with Pirates' right-hander Roansy Contreras (3-2, 4.09). The first pitch is scheduled for 1:35 PM EST.
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On Friday night, the Jays limped into Pittsburgh after getting swept in four games at Fenway Park to start the week and giving up 32 runs in the process. Overall, they had lost five straight games, allowing over eight runs per game during that stretch. In game one against the Pirates, the Blue Jays rebounded with a 4-0 win after a strong performance from starter Chris Bassitt. On Saturday, the Jays scored four in the first and three in the fourth and cruised to an 8-2 win to make it two-straight over the Pirates.
Goodnight, #BlueJays fans ??
Support your teammates ?? pic.twitter.com/AgJI4FQEuu
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 6, 2023
The Jays will hand the ball to lefty Yusei Kikuchi in Sunday's series finale. Kikuchi is 4-0 in six starts with an ERA of 4.02. He has allowed 33 hits in 31.1 innings pitched and has two quality starts on the season. Kikuchi has an 8.9 K/9 ratio on the season and has given up eight home runs. On the road, he is 2-0 with an ERA of 5.95 in four starts. His K/9 rate drops to just 5.9 on the road. Kikuchi has a career-high hard-hit percentage of 49.5 this season, well above the league average. His strikeout rate is also the lowest its been in four seasons.