All it took was a 15-0 blowout win to put the Toronto Blue Jays in a happy mood.
Now, Blue Jays manager John Schneider hopes the good vibes continue into Sunday afternoon when his team plays the rubber match of its three-game series vs. the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis.
The Twins (73-62) recorded a 2-0 win in the series opener Friday before Toronto (67-71) erupted for season-high run and hit (23) totals on Saturday.
“I felt like toward the end of the game, everyone was running to the bat rack to try and get in there,” Blue Jays designated hitter Spencer Horwitz said. “And when you get that energy and the offense rolling, it’s contagious, for sure.”
The Twins also seem to be feeling contagious, but for much less pleasant reasons. Minnesota has lost nine of its past 12 games and is looking to bounce back from a woeful performance Saturday in which it managed only four hits.
The Twins remain 3 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central. Minnesota is one game behind the second-place Kansas City Royals.
Twins infielder Royce Lewis said he and his teammates remain confident as they looked toward September.
“We’re right where we need to be,” Lewis said. “We’re a handful of games away, and we get to face both of these teams coming up soon that are ahead of us. I’m very much looking forward to it. I know it’s in our hands, and we can definitely make a good push here.”
The Blue Jays will start right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (1-6, 4.82 ERA) in the series finale. Rodriguez is looking to bounce back from a 6-3 loss Tuesday to the Boston Red Sox, who tagged him for six runs on eight hits in five innings.
The 27-year-old rookie from Cuba has not faced the Twins in his career. He enters the series finale with 66 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.
The Twins will counter with right-hander Bailey Ober (12-6, 4.06 ERA), who is set to make his 26th start of the season. He is looking to recover from a rough outing against the Atlanta Braves on Monday, when he gave up nine runs on seven hits in two innings in Minnesota’s 10-6 loss.
This will be Ober’s fifth career start against the Blue Jays. In his first four outings, he is 2-2 with a 3.05 ERA and has 26 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.
Will Wagner will look to stay hot at the plate after going 5-for-6 with a double, a homer and two RBIs on Saturday for the Blue Jays.
“It’s amazing; congrats to him,” Schneider said. “He’s just steady. Even in that couple-of-game stretch where he was not getting hits — I mean, we’re not asking him to hit .500 — but he’s just steady. He’s a pro. Nothing really fazes him.
“I just love the way he goes about it every single day. Simple swing, and he understands the game.”
Minnesota is 38-30 at home this season. Toronto is 33-38 on the road.
–Field Level Media
