The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t perform well in their last trip to a minor-league ballpark as they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the Florida heat back in May.
Toronto’s chances would seem to be a lot better in its second crack outside a usual MLB venue this weekend.
Fresh off the end of a 10-game win streak, the AL East-leading Blue Jays battle the Athletics in the final series before the all-star break in West Sacramento, Calif.
The Athletics, who are playing in 14,014-capacity Sutter Health Park while they await a new ballpark in Las Vegas, have an AL-worst record of 18-30 at home.
What’s more, Friday’s Athletics starter already has voiced his displeasure about playing in the San Francisco Giants’ triple-A stadium.
Luis Severino said late last month he is no fan of the venue.
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Watch Blue Jays vs. Athletics
The Blue Jays battle the Athletics in a three-game series heading into the all-star break this weekend. Catch Friday’s opener at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.
“It feels like a spring training kind of game every time I pitch, and every time other guys pitch,” Severino said, per The Athletic.
“It’s the same mentality we have, to go out there and try to do our best. But it’s not been great for us.”
The two-time all-star is 0-8 with a 7.04 ERA in 11 starts at home and 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA in eight starts on the road.
When asked to explain the wildly different numbers late last month, Severino said: “Because we play in a big-league stadium on the road.
“We don’t have that at home right now. It’s not the same. It’s not the same atmosphere. We don’t have a lot of fans. Our clubhouse is in left field. So, when we play day games, we have to just be in the sun. There’s no air conditioning there, too. It’s really tough.”
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, fell one win short of tying a club-record 11-game win streak when they lost against the White Sox in Chicago on Wednesday. The team enjoyed an off-day Thursday, while the Athletics won an 11-inning game against the visiting Atlanta Braves.
Toronto swept a four-game series against the Athletics in late May at Rogers Centre.
Max Scherzer starts for Toronto in Friday’s series opener. He was on the injured list for the May series, while Severino did not start in Toronto.
The Blue Jays, of course, aren’t strangers to playing regular-season games in minor-league parks after having to call Dunedin, Fla., and Buffalo, N.Y., home for 2020 and early in the 2021 season because of COVID-19 border restrictions.
