After splitting a lengthy four-game series in Anaheim against the Angels, the Blue Jays will jet off to Oakland to continue their 10-game road trip (which will wrap up this weekend in Minnesota).
The Jays will head into tonight's series opener with a record of 16-13, while the A's are 15-14.
These two seem to be following a similar script through 29 games. They are separated by only one game in the standings, and both are relying on some solid pitching to propel them to winning records.
One key to coming out on top in this series will be to ensure that the Jays' bats are able to produce and provide some support for the top-of-the-rotation arms in Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow.
If one was to take a look at the team stats of these two clubs head-to-head, it's likely they would give the edge to Toronto.
Pitching wise, Oakland is 11th in team ERA and quality starts and 13th in batting average against. The Blue Jays aren't far behind, ranking 15th in team ERA, 19th in quality starts and the 10th best batting average against in baseball.
Offensively, the Jays are 21st in team batting average, while the Athletics are dead last. The Jays have scored 138 runs, to the A's 97, putting placing them 19 spots ahead of Oakland.
With the A's throwing out tough starters Brandon McCarthy and Jarrod Parker, baseball's seventh-best run-producing team will have to bring their "A" game over the next few nights.
The other key to beating Oakland will be to have strong performances from the bullpen. Already having blown six saves this season, the Jays can ill afford to have poor relief appearances against one of baseball's stingiest pitching teams.
Stat To Watch: Average with runners in scoring position.
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