Round two of the first meaningful SkyDome finale since 1996. Maybe it would be a bit more exciting if the Jays were playing for something more than pride themselves, but high-stakes baseball sure beats exhibition games. And I doubt many Toronto fans have compunctions about spoiling the Rays' season just for the hell of it.
The pitching matchup features Chris Archer and J.A. Happ. Archer still runs deep counts but appears to have sworn off walks forever. He's working on a 2.82 ERA since July. On the other hand, this month he's averaging under five innings per start. Maybe he's fading. Basestealers are 16-for-18 off him, too, in 126.1 innings. I'm not sure what there is to say about Happ, other than that it would be nice to see him end this season on a high note. It would be crazy to place much stock in his second-half stats. He could have pitched to a 7 ERA after the comebacker and I still would've given him a mulligan. Then again, I wasn't especially high on him before the accident. The Dome isn't hospitable to lefties who pitch away from contact.
In Arlington, it'll be Garrett Richards and Derek Holland at noon ET; in Minneapolis, Scott Kazmir and Cole De Vries at 1.
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