Division Duel: Blue Jays vs. Orioles fast facts preview

The Toronto Blue Jays hit the road with a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the American League East

By the end of this week’s series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the calendar will flip to September as the final month of regular season play begins.

The Blue Jays currently sit two games up in the A.L. East following a thrilling series sweep over the Minnesota Twins that was highlighted by a hat trick of Josh Donaldson home runs on Sunday. Just behind the Red Sox, and three back of the Blue Jays, are the Orioles.

Staff ace Chris Tillman is currently on the disabled list which makes Baltimore’s division race all the more difficult, though he is eligible to be activated on September 5th. Adam Jones will not be starting in game one of the series (hamstring) and remains day-to-day.

Dioner Navarro will be back with the Blue Jays for the first time since being traded, and is available off the bench.

Big picture stats:

More from Jays Journal

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

• Baltimore has relied heavily on power, leading Major League Baseball with 204 home runs. Toronto is currently second with 190.
• The Orioles rank ninth in team offence with 615 runs.
• Despite ranking ninth with a .262 team batting average, the Orioles sit 17th when it comes to on-base percentage .321.
• Russell Martin might have a quiet series as the Orioles have stolen just 15 bases on 25 attempts, a historically low level of base-stealing.
• Pitching has been a different story for Baltimore, as they rank 22nd with a 4.48 ERA and have gotten just 54 quality starts from their rotation.

Orioles to watch:

• Fear Zach Britton at the back end of Baltimore’s bullpen. The 28-year-old left-hander holds a 0.63 ERA through 53.0 innings and has saved 36 ball games, all with a mind-boggling 80.2% ground ball rate.
• Manny Machado continues to be one of baseball’s best players and an American League MVP candidate. He’s now hitting .309 with 31 home runs and is coming off a 7-for-14 series against the Yankees.
• Mark Trumbo hit his 40th home run yesterday against the Yankees and currently sits four RBI shy of 100.
• Chris Davis is racking up the strikeouts at light speed and is hitting just .225, but his home run power remains. ‘Crush’ has put 32 over the wall this season, including a two home run game on Saturday.
• Pedro Alvarez (19) and Jonathan Schoop (20) have also helped the Orioles to pad their league lead in home runs.
• Of all healthy Orioles, Trumbo and Ryan Flaherty are tied for the team stolen base lead with… two.

Next: A.L. East Recap: A look at the Blue Jays on top

Scheduled starters:

Monday, August 29th   –   7:05 p.m. ET
Marco Estrada (7-6, 3.47 ERA)   vs.   Wade Miley (8-10, 5.51 ERA)

Tuesday, August 30th   –   7:05 p.m. ET
J.A. Happ (17-4, 3.19 ERA)   vs.   Ubaldo Jimenez (5-11, 6.62 ERA)

Wednesday, August 31st   –   7:05 p.m. ET
Aaron Sanchez (12-2, 2.99 ERA)   vs.   Yovani Gallardo (4-6, 5.69 ERA)