Toronto will be looking for its second consecutive win in Pittsburgh when the teams square off on Saturday night. The Blue Jays took two out of three against the Cubs before picking up a 4-0 win over the Pirates on Friday. Pittsburgh has lost 10 of its last 12 games and is in last place in the National League Central.
Toronto has struggled with consistency throughout the season, but it is looking to get into another hot stretch right now. The Blue Jays won eight out of 10 games to open the second half and won seven out of eight near the end of August. Their inconsistency kicked in last weekend, as they were swept by the Angels. However, Toronto bounced back with a series win over the Cubs earlier this week and then opened this series with a victory. The Blue Jays are 1.5 games ahead of Baltimore for the final AL Wild Card spot.
Blue Jays fans, you were ALEKtric tonight ?? #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/PYbqZZJ8uO
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 3, 2022
They have been an outstanding offensive team, ranked third in the majors in batting average (.260). First baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. leads the way with 143 hits, including 27 home runs. Shortstop Bo Bichette has 135 hits, while third baseman Matt Chapman has 24 homers. They will be facing a Pittsburgh pitching staff that ranks No. 26 with an ERA of 4.69. Right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling is expected to start for Toronto on Saturday. He allowed three runs on seven hits across six innings against the Angels his last time out, striking out six. The 32-year-old has posted three consecutive quality starts and has a 2.94 ERA this season.