Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt is pitching in the American League East these days, but he’s recently made his mark against clubs in the National League West
Bassitt (10-5, 3.92 ERA) will take the mound on Tuesday in the middle of a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This will be the fourth time in six outings he has pitched against an NL West side, and he can only hope this one looks like the other three.
In his last outing, Thursday against the San Diego Padres, Bassitt took the win with six scoreless innings. He has recorded seven outings this year in which he threw a fly ball scoreless while going at least six innings.
The effort against the Padres was similar to an outing against the San Francisco Giants on June 29, when Bassitt also went six scoreless innings and recorded a career-best 12 strikeouts.
Between those two performances, Bassitt also faced the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 15, when he allowed two runs over six innings in another win. In his last five appearances, he is 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA.
In a starting lineup that also includes Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi and Alek Manoah, Bassitt has been as good as any of them and is the only one to have double-digit wins.
“We’re doing a really good job,” said Bassitt, who is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA against the Dodgers in three starts. “But the truth is, we got five All-Star pitchers on one staff. We better be good. Obviously, we’ve been good this year. But overall, I mean, if you’re expecting anything else, I don’t know what you’re expecting.
Bassitt will seek to maintain the Dodgers after the blue jays picked up a 6-3 victory in 11 innings of the series opener on Monday. Daulton Varsho hit a two-run double in the 11th and Whit Merrifield contributed four hits
Los Angeles will counter Tuesday with left-hander Julio Urias (7-6, 5.02). The 2022 NL ERA champion endured an up and down season that saw him miss six weeks with a hamstring injury.
In his last outing, Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, Urias allowed a career-high eight earned runs on eight hits in five innings. The previous outing, he went six scoreless innings against the New York Mets.
“I’m not worried about the results, I’m more worried about feeling good, and that’s what I’m always looking for, to be more and more consistent every time I step on the mound,” Urias said through an interpreter. “I’m still optimistic and I’m confident it will come.”
In eight seasons and 151 career outings (115 starts), Urias has never faced the blue jays. But he knows Toronto’s Brandon Belt, a longtime member of the San Francisco Giants, well. Belt has a .318 batting average and two homers against Urias in 22 at-bats
While Dodgers designated hitter JD Martinez has missed the last two games with left hamstring strain, fellow veteran Jason Heyward hit a home run on Monday to give him 10 on the season after amassing a total of nine in the previous two seasons
THE blue jays were without receiver Danny Jansen on Monday after leaving Sunday’s game in Seattle when he was hit by a pitch in the left forearm
–Field-Level Media
