Blue Jays at Angels
The Toronto Blue Jays called up their top prospect on Friday and swept the Oakland Athletics over the weekend, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing a part. Guerrero will try to continue helping the team when the Blue Jays visit the Los Angeles Angels for the opener of a three-game series on Tuesday.
Guerrero went 3-for-12 in the first three games of his career but the hero of the three-game sweep over the weekend was infielder Brandon Drury, who clubbed a walk-off homer on Friday and belted a three-run shot in the 11th on Sunday to help Toronto to a 5-4 victory. "Like I said, even in spring training, we have a young team, but we have some really good players," Justin Smoak, who singled in the game-winning run to cap a four-run rally in the 11th on Sunday, told reporters. "Once they figure out how good they are, they have a chance to be really, really good players. It's something that, yeah, there's going to be ups and downs. But hopefully there are more ups than downs and hopefully we find a way to continue winning ballgames." The Angels are winners of three of their last four games and open a five-game homestand against the Blue Jays. Los Angeles will try to keep Guerrero, Drury and company in check when right-hander Griffin Canning makes his major league debut on Tuesday opposite Toronto veteran Clay Buchholz.
TV: 10:07 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FS West (Los Angeles)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Clay Buchholz (0-1, 4.60 ERA) vs. Angels RH Griffin Canning (NR)
Buchholz suffered his first loss of the season against San Francisco on Wednesday, when he was reached for four runs and six hits over five innings. The 34-year-old Texan scattered one run and six hits across six frames in his first outing on April 13 but failed to record an out in the sixth inning of either of the last two turns. Buchholz made one start against Los Angeles as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks last season and breezed through seven scoreless innings, scattering four hits in a win.
Canning is the Angels' top pitching prospect and went 1-0 with a 0.56 ERA in three starts this season for Triple-A Salt Lake, striking out 17 in 16 total innings. The 2017 second-round draft pick out of UCLA breezed through three levels of the minors in 2018, posting a 4-3 record with a 3.65 ERA in 25 total starts. Canning features an above-average changeup and solid command.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Blue Jays signed OF Ben Revere to a minor league contract.
2. Angels 1B Albert Pujols (1,997) passed Barry Bonds for fourth place on the all-time RBIs list on Sunday.
3. Los Angeles took four of seven from Toronto last season.