The Washington Nationals head north of the border to play the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday in the second game of a three-game interleague series. Both teams were off on Thursday.
The Nationals defeated the New York Yankees 5-4 on Wednesday as 19-year old rookie Juan Soto hit a pair of home runs to upstage the veteran sluggers for the Yankees.
Toronto lost its third straight on Wednesday falling to the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0. The Blue Jays were swept in the three-game series by their American League East rivals. Toronto’s bullpen came up short again allowing the winning run on a single in the ninth inning with two out.
Trea Turner leads the Nationals with a .258 batting average and team high 68 hits. Bryce Harper leads the team in home runs with 19 and RBIs with 43. Washington has a team batting average of .236 while opposing hitters are averaging .221 at the plate against Nationals pitching. On Saturday, the Nationals will send Max Scherzer to the mound. The right-hander this season is 10-2 with an ERA of 2.00, 142 Ks and 22 BBs.
Teoscar Hernandez leads the Blue Jays with a batting average of .261. Kevin Pillar has a team high 66 hits, while Yangervis Solarte leads in home runs with 12 and RBIs with 37. Toronto has a team batting average of .232 while opposing hitters are averaging .259 at the plate against Blue Jays pitching. On Saturday, Toronto will send Marco Estrada to the mound. The right-hander this season is 3-6 with an ERA of 5.09, 57 Ks and 18 BBs.
