This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The Toronto Blue Jays will attempt to shake off a 1-5 road trip when they welcome hot-hitting Triston Casas and the Boston Red Sox to town on Monday night for the opener of a three-game series.
Toronto (73-83) just got swept in a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays, most recently falling 4-3 on Sunday.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-5 in the latest loss, also recording his 100th RBI of the season. He went 7-for-14 (.500) in the series against Tampa Bay.
“It’s a great personal accomplishment and to do it the way he’s done it, especially in the second half, speaks volumes to how good he is, how talented he is,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Guerrero hitting the 100-RBI mark. “Hopefully he can take a deep breath and say, ‘I’ve got 30 (home runs) and 100 (RBIs)’ and get a few more in each of those categories.”
Casas is also trying to keep his momentum in the upcoming series after slugging three homers and collecting seven RBIs in Game 1 of Boston’s doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
The Red Sox (78-78) swept the twin bill, taking the opener 8-1 before earning a 9-3 win in Game 2.
“It feels good. I know I have that potential — maybe not to hit three home runs every game, but to hit the ball like that,” Casas said. “I know I can do it. It’s just a matter of consistency and doing it over and over.”
Right-hander Chris Bassitt (10-13, 4.16 ERA) will be the one tasked with containing Casas, as he is set to make his 31st start of the season on Monday.
Bassitt gave up seven runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings against the Texas Rangers last Tuesday, but only one of those runs was earned. He also managed to not factor into the decision in that outing.
In six career starts against Boston, Bassitt is 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA. He has gone up against the Red Sox three times this year alone, going 0-1 with a 2.29 ERA.
Boston plans to counter with right-hander Tanner Houck (8-10, 3.21).
In his most recent outing, Houck lasted four innings against the Rays on Wednesday, coming away with a no-decision after yielding one run on four hits.
Houck will be facing Toronto for the eighth time in his career, with six of his previous outings against Boston’s American League East rival being starts. He is 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA against the Blue Jays.
There will likely be some added pressure on Houck to perform, as the Red Sox are dangerously close to being officially eliminated from postseason contention. Boston is currently four games behind the Kansas City Royals, who hold the third and final wild card in the AL.
The Red Sox have six games left.
“We’re gonna keep playing,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We’re gonna keep playing all the way to the end.”
Boston is 6-4 against the Blue Jays in 2024.
–Field Level Media
