Throughout the season, the Toronto Blue Jays have shown a knack for coming back.
On Wednesday, they nearly did it again, tying their game against the Houston Astros at 2-2 in the eighth inning before the visitors won it with a home run in the ninth.
Now, the Blue Jays will have to keep their memories short as they welcome the Astros back to Rogers Centre for the series finale and rubber match on Thursday afternoon.
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Watch Blue Jays vs. Astros on Sportsnet
The Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros square off in the rubber match of a three-game series at Rogers Centre on Thursday. Catch the action on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+ starting at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT.
The matchup represents the latest so-called ‘biggest game of the year,’ as Toronto continues to hold a three-game division lead over the hard-charging New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays have also slipped half a game behind the Detroit Tigers for the American League lead, and the Astros themselves are only 4.5 games back of that coveted second bye position.
Kevin Gausman (9-10, 3.63 ERA) will get the start for the Blue Jays coming off a pair of dominant performances. In his last two starts, the veteran righty has pitched 15 innings against the Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers — MLB’s top two offences — and allowed just two earned runs on eight hits while striking out 13.
Houston, which sits 12th in the AL in runs scored, doesn’t present quite the same challenge. Still, Toronto is counting on Gausman for another strong outing as its bullpen — and closer Jeff Hoffman — continues to face questions.
Sharing the mound with Gausman for the Astros will be Cristian Javier (1-2, 4.43 ERA), who returned from Tommy John surgery in August and has made just five starts on the season, logging 20.1 innings.
In his most recent outing, Javier surrendered six hits and four earned runs in 4.1 frames against the Yankees.
Thursday marks the final regular-season game between the Astros and Blue Jays, with Houston having won four of the first five contests following an April sweep.
Toronto, which has managed just eight runs against Astros pitching on the year, was held hitless through five innings during Tuesday’s win before being held without a run through seven on Wednesday.
But the Blue Jays, who lead the AL with 43 comeback wins on the season, have proven time and again that they should never be counted out.
