The rested Orioles arrive into town to visit the rested Blue Jays. The Jays ended the first half* with too many relievers and too few position players. This happened because Kevin Pillar and Lourdes Gurriel went on the DL just before the break. Ryan Tepera came back from the DL and today Richard Urena has been recalled to fill Gurriel's spot. The Jays will likely see several other moves over the next seven days. Marco Estrada and Ryan Borucki will be back. Danny Barnes and Aaron Sanchez might be not too much behind them. And hopefully Gurriel will be back soon.
Baltimore are also making news by designating Chris Tillman for assignment. The Orioles want him to go to the minors but he is waiting to assess his options. This weekend is the first of the post-Manny Machado era. Now that the big dog is gone, how will the team react?
The schedule is:
Friday, 7 pm - Dylan Bundy vs. Sam Gaviglio
Saturday, 1 pm - TBD vs. Marcus StromanSunday 1 pm - TBD vs. JA Happ
On Saturday expect more of the "what does Stroman think today?" brouhaha. Sunday is Happy day with just over a week to the deadline. Will he make that start, will it be his last start, will he pitch well? I hope Dwight Smith gets plenty of playing time with Pillar out. He is one of the players that we need to know what to expect from him in 2019, is he part of the future or a spare part?
Even with the addition of Urena, the Jays are carrying ten relief pitchers. In part this is because they have just three starters on the roster, all of whom start this weekend. Borucki will be back next week but the Jays still need a fifth starter. It could be Estrada or someone from the minor leagues. The Orioles are carrying nine relievers, there are 19 relievers available for tonight's game.
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