The Toronto Blue Jays need a repeat of the result from the last time Dylan Cease opposed the Los Angeles Angels.
The Blue Jays open a six-game homestand Friday night against the Angels in a four-game losing streak after a 2-5 road trip.
In his start against the host Angels on April 20, Cease (2-1, 3.05 ERA) struck out 12 and allowed two runs in five innings to earn the decision in the Blue Jays’ 5-2 win.
The right-hander is scheduled to go against the losing pitcher of that game, Angels left-hander Reid Detmers (1-2, 4.28), who allowed four runs in six innings to take the loss.
Cease is 2-2 with a 3.50 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels. Detmers is 1-2 with a 5.09 ERA in seven career games (four starts) against Toronto.
The Angels will open a six-game road trip on Friday after defeating the Chicago White Sox 8-2 on Wednesday to finish a 3-3 homestand with two straight victories. They had not won two in a row since April 16-17 and had not won a series since taking two of three from the Cincinnati Reds on April 10-12.
“It was nice,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “They deserve it. They played well, pitching, defense, great plays made and then timely offense with big hits using the whole field. It was great.
“We felt good about (Tuesday) night and coming into today we felt confident,” Suzuki continued. “You try to carry that momentum from game to game and just keep building off of this and see where we go.”
Travis d’Arnaud, a former Toronto minor-leaguer (2010-12), hit a three-run homer in the Angels’ five-run second on Wednesday. The catcher left the game after running out a groundout in the fourth.
“He had some foot soreness, just kind of seeing what it is,” Suzuki said. “He had a tough time putting any pressure on it, so we just took him out for precautionary reasons.”
Former Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah, who has not pitched in the majors since 2024 as a result of elbow surgery, joined the Angels’ bullpen on Wednesday after reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
The Angels and the Blue Jays had Thursday off.
The timing was good for the Blue Jays after they were swept in a three-game road series by the Tampa Rays that ended with a 3-0 loss on Wednesday.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider had some advice for his players.
“Take a step back and just kind of take a deep breath,” Schneider said. “There’s not a game (Thursday) where you’ve got to go out and try to do something more, so spend time with your family. Get away from the game a little bit. Keep yourself physically ready and get prepared. But it’s a good off-day for us right now, for sure.”
The Blue Jays could get some help Friday with the expected return of right fielder Addison Barger, who has been out since suffering a sprained ankle on April 5. He started the season 1-for-19 (.053) with two RBIs.
The offense needs a boost. The Blue Jays scored four runs over the three games against the Rays.
“When you’re not scoring and you’re in it a little bit, there’s some anxiety and pressure that goes into each and every guy’s at-bats,” Schneider said. “The most important thing is to take that away. Do your thing. Know what you’re good at. And then it gets contagious. As contagious as it gets when you’re pressing, it can flip in a hurry.”
–Field Level Media
