Mad Max Return Will Be Spoiled By Guardians
Blue Jays vs. Guardians, 6:40 ET
Blue Jays vs. Guardians, 6:40 ET
When I first started writing baseball articles for Outkick about three years ago, I was on an absolute tear. I won over 70 units the first year. 70 units might not sound like a ton, or maybe it does. It is always difficult to interpret what another person will think of a number like that. The next two seasons were more of the same, but this one has been different. It hasn't been a bad year, but it certainly hasn't been consistent. I've said this before and I'll say it here once again: I want to be consistent so you can either fade me and win, or follow and win. I'll be able to manage one way or another, so let's look into this game with the Blue Jays and the Guardians.
The Blue Jays are playing very competitive baseball this season and I'm here for it. They are over .500, and even in one of the most competitive divisions in baseball you have to feel like this team will at least make a run at some names in the trade market. By being involved there, they should also be involved in the Wild Card race. I'm not focusing on the division, because I think the Yankees win that, but the division is a possibility. The Blue Jays are hitting rather well for the year, but they could probably use a bit more pop in the lineup. They also need some pitching assistance. One way they are getting that is a return from the injured list from today's starter, Max Scherzer. Scherzer seems like he will never stop pitching, but he also seems like he may never have a full season ever again, either. There is reason to be concerned as he has an issue with his thumb, and he doesn't actually know how it will respond to a full game. He probably is going to get three innings of work and that's it.

The Guardians are above .500, but they're in a division that is likley to also go to the current leader (Detroit). I feel like Cleveland has been the cream of the AL Central crop for quite a while now, but they seem to have slowed down this season. Their pitching is still pretty solid, and they have good hitting as well. The problem is their hitting just isn't consistent enough. While both aspects of their club are acceptable, neither are areas they are truly excelling in at the moment. Today they send out Gavin Williams to battle Scherzer and the Blue Jays. Williams has been a strong contributor this year with a 5-3 record, 3.58 ERA, and a 1.42 WHIP. This has been his best month of the season as he has allowed five earned runs over 22.2 innings. Blue Jays hitters are batting .273 against him, but only 6-for-22 overall.
Niether one of these teams are playing ridiculously well on the road or at home. The Blue Jays are slightly below the middle mark, and the Guardians are slightly above. The series has been pretty close overall as well with this being the fifth game of the year between the two clubs and the series tied at two wins for each team. I think the Guardians get this one though. I like the way Williams is playing, and I don't think Scherzer goes deep in this one forcing the Blue Jays to rely on a shaky bullpen.
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