This is the second game of a three-game series in Toronto between the Blue Jays and visiting Los Angeles Angels.
Jack Kochanowicz is scheduled to pitch for the Los Angeles while Max Scherzer should get the nod for Toronto.
Angels at Blue Jays prediction, preview
Jack Kochanowicz has been, well, not good, despite averaging 95.9 mph on the fastball. The swinging strike rate is 9.2% while the chase rate is 25.8%. He’s allowing an average exit velocity of 91.6 mph with a 45.7% hard hit rate. The strikeout rate is 16.2% while the walk rate is a robust 10.6%. He’s allowed 15 home runs in 86 innings and the ERA of 5.44 is supported by the 5.54 FIP.
He’s been site neutral, as in Kochanowicz has been bad both at home and on the road. Lefties have mashed him to the tune of a 6.47 FIP while 13 of the 15 home runs have come off their bats.
Kochanowicz has allowed more than three earned runs eight times. He has not started a game without allowing at least one earned run. This will be the first time facing Toronto this season.
Against right-handed pitching, the Blue Jays have struck out at the 30th-highest rate while having the 18th-best ISO. The wOBA is 13th-best in MLB.
Max Scherzer has made two starts since returning from a thumb injury. He went five innings, walked three, struck out four and allowed three earned runs on six hits in his return to action. In the next one, he went five innings, struck out seven and allowed two earned runs on three hits. That was at home against the Yankees. He was pulled from that one, though, after 71 pitches due to the thumb, so that’s something to consider, but I haven’t read anything since then and he’s slated to start on Saturday. Somewhere around 80 pitches seems likely.
The Angels have struck out at the second-highest rate against right-handed pitching while being seventh in ISO. The wOBA is 19th-best.
As for bullpens, Los Angeles has the 29th-lowest FIP while Toronto has the 15th-lowest.
Angels at Blue Jays, Best Bet
As long as Scherzer is healthy, I think he strikes out plenty of Angels on Saturday. The Blue Jays bullpen is second in K/9, so I expect them rack up plenty of strikeouts as well. I do think the Angels will score a few runs, but I’m liking the setup for the Blue Jays offense in this one, against both Kochanowicz and the porous Angels bullpen. Addison Barger could have a big game.
