Athletics @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( May 30, 2025 ) Athletics 7, Toronto 11
The visiting Athletics will look for a way to stop Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement on Saturday afternoon while attempting to halt a two-week slide.
Clement, and the Blue Jays in general, have feasted on Athletics pitching in the first two games of the four-game series. Toronto had 15 hits and 11 walks in an 11-7 victory on Friday night after recording 18 hits in a 12-0 victory on Thursday in the opener.
Clement went 4-for-5 with a homer and a double on Friday after going 3-for-5 with a homer, a double on Thursday. All five RBIs in the opener came in the second inning, tying the franchise record for a single frame.
In both games, he was going against left-handed starters. Clement is dominating lefties this year, batting .388/.446/.714 against them with seven doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs in 49 at-bats.
"He's got a great approach against lefties," Toronto manager John Schneider said, then quipped, "I guess he's a power hitter now, so we're telling him to hit a homer every time."
The skipper added, "He's been pretty locked in for a while."
The Athletics are scheduled to start a right-hander, Gunnar Hoglund (1-2, 5.13 ERA), on Saturday. The rookie has yet to face the Blue Jays.
Toronto is expected to use rookie right-hander Braydon Fisher (1-0, 0.00 ERA) as the opener for a bullpen game. He has never opposed the Athletics. Eric Lauer and Paxton Schultz could follow Fisher out the bullpen.
The teams are going in different directions. Toronto has won three in a row, and the Athletics have lost four straight and 15 of 16.
The Blue Jays have taken advantage of a relatively young Athletics relief corps that was heavily used in the first two games. That does not bode well for the rest of the series.
"They just don't have the experience to fall back on," A's manager Mark Kotsay said.
It did not help on Friday when starter Jeffrey Springs walked a career-high six batters while allowing six runs in two-plus innings, setting the tone for the game.
"We talk a lot about the free base really hurting us, and tonight that came into play," Kotsay said.
The A's did get some good offense and some brilliant defense that they hope carries into the next games.
Toronto native Denzel Clarke showed his athleticism in center field for the Athletics, particularly when he climbed the wall to rob Alejandro Kirk of a home run in the fourth with a catch that Kotsay termed as "pretty insane."
"From a defensive standpoint, I thought we played exceptionally well," the manager said.
Clarke, promoted to the majors last week, also went 2-for-3 at the plate with his first career RBI.
The Blue Jays are not known for being good at running the bases, but Schneider was pleased with that aspect of the game on Friday.
"I thought we ran the bases really well and the things that go unnoticed," he said. "I thought Carlos Febles put on a clinic coaching at third. You've got to give credit where credit's due."
Before the Friday game, Toronto put outfielder Anthony Santander (left shoulder inflammation) on the injured list and recalled outfielder Alan Roden from Triple-A Buffalo, where he was batting .361/.446/.583 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 18 games. Santander has been dealing with the nagging injury for more than a week.
Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extended his career-best on-base streak to 30 games on Friday by going 1-for-3 with three walks (one intentional) and an RBI.
--Field Level Media