It’s Sho-time in Toronto — and the stakes are high.
Coming off a brilliant two-way performance in a doubleheader sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, Shohei Ohtani leads the Los Angeles Angels into Rogers Centre for a much-anticipated weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Before the doubleheader, the Angels confirmed they would not trade the pending free agent prior to next Tuesday’s trade deadline — saying they plan to compete for a playoff spot.
Backed by Ohtani brilliance on the mound and at the plate, the Angels moved within three games of the idle Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot — though they also will need to overtake the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Nevertheless, there is hope for the Angels, especially after acquiring top Chicago White Sox starter Lucas Giolito on Friday.
Here’s a look at the Blue Jays-Angels series.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, 7:07 p.m. ET / 4:07 p.m. PT (Apple TV+, Sportsnet 590 The Fan): Toronto RHP Kevin Gausman (7-5, 3.18 ERA) vs. L.A. RHP Lucas Giolito (6-6, 3.79 ERA)
Saturday, 3:07 p.m. ET / 12:07 p.m. PT (Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW): Toronto RHP Alek Manoah (2-8, 6.10 ERA) vs. L.A. LHP Reid Detmers (2-7, 4.38 ERA)
Sunday, 12:05 p.m. ET / 9:05 a.m. PT (Sportsnet, Sportsnet NOW): Toronto RHP Jose Berríos (8-7, 3.40 ERA) vs. L.A. LHP Tyler Anderson (5-2, 5.23 ERA)
Latest on the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays (57-46) snapped a two-series losing streak by taking two of three against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
An 8-1 blowout win in the series finale on Wednesday erased memories of a late-game meltdown in a 8-7 loss in 10 innings the previous night.
Yusei Kikuchi continued his impressive bounce-back season with six innings of one-run ball in the series-ending win.
Whit Merrifield delivered the big blow with a three-run homer in the fifth.
The Blue Jays are third in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the division-leading Baltimore Orioles.
Toronto is 1.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the race for the final wild-card spot.
Latest on the Angels
Coming off three sub-par outings on the mound, Ohtani delivered a gem in the doubleheader opener against the Tigers.
The Japanese star notched his first complete game in the majors, allowing just one hit and striking out eight in a 6-0 win. He threw 111 pitches.
Ohtani followed that up by hitting two homers in the second game to up his MLB-leading tater total to 38 as the Angels (54-49) won 11-4.
“His uniqueness,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “merits all the respect in the world.”
There was some concern as Ohtani was pulled in the seventh inning of the second game because of cramping. But afterward, manager Phil Nevin said he expected Ohtani to DH in Toronto.
Ohtani originally was supposed to start on the mound Friday against the Blue Jays, but was pushed up to Thursday after a rainout in Detroit on Wednesday.
Instead, Blue Jays fans get to see Giolito’s Angels debut. He was solid against Toronto with the White Sox earlier this month, giving up two runs on four hits in six innings in a 4-3 loss.
The Angels, who extended their win streak to four games with a three-game sweep of Detroit, are looking to make their first playoff appearance since 2014.
Ohtani vs. Blue Jays
Ohtani had one homer against the Blue Jays earlier this year, hitting a two-run shot against Kikuchi.
In 24 career games against Toronto, he is slashing .291/.408/.698 with seven homers and 22 RBI.
By the numbers
MLB.com’s Dawn Klemish reported Ohtani was the first player to allow one hit or fewer during a shutout and homer on the same day since 1986 when Montreal Expos starter Floyd Youmans did the trick against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Busy Birds
The Blue Jays begin a stretch of 17 games in 17 days on Friday.
The expectation is Hyun Jin Ryu will return to the starting rotation next week after a year-plus-long absence following Tommy John surgery.
That could allow Toronto to go with a six-man rotation during the hectic period, giving more rest to a staff that has been pushed due to the month-long demotion for Manoah earlier this year.
Berrios, Gausman and Kevin Gausman all are in the top 20 in the big leagues in innings pitched.
Key Words
“We’re going to roll the dice and see what happens.” — Angels GM Perry Minasian on the decision not to trade Ohtani.
Season Series
The Blue Jays won two of three in Los Angeles in April, including a 4-3 win in the Angels’ home opener and a wild 12-11 triumph in the series finale.
Berríos is the lone Toronto starter pitching this weekend to have started in that series. He had a rough outing (four runs on six hits in four innings) in a 9-5 loss.
Out of town
There are two very interesting series for Blue Jays fans to monitor this weekend.
The Yankees, 2.5 games back of Toronto, are in Baltimore.
Meanwhile, the Houston Astros entertain the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa is first in the wild-card race, four games up on Toronto, while Houston is second and sits a game ahead of the Blue Jays.
Up Next
It’s a return to AL East competition, where the Jays have an awful 7-20 record. The Orioles are in town for four games, starting Monday.
With the trade deadline Tuesday, expect plenty of intrigue.
