The Blue Jays will come out of the All-Star break at 45-51 and in last place in the American League East.
The time is now for the Toronto Blue Jays, who enter the second half at 45-51 on the season and in last place in the American League East.
Despite their frustrations, the Blue Jays are just 2.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins for the third wild card spot, meaning they are still in the race with just two weeks before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
However, the first seven games out of the break are against current playoff teams, and we've pointed to these seven games as being critical to which direction the Jays go at the trade deadline.
Toronto opens up the second half on Friday night against the Chicago White Sox at home at Rogers Centre. The White Sox are currently tied for the American League Central lead.
Here are the pitching matchups for the series.
Spencer Miles (4-1, 2.85 ERA) vs. Anthony Kay (6-4, 4.23 ERA)
Miles has been a lifesaver for this pitching staff in the face of several injuries. A Rule-5 draft pick, he's got a 1.20 ERA in his last seven games, which spans 15 innings. He threw two innings on July 11 and four innings on July 7, so we'll see how long he can last in this game.
Kay, a soft-tossing 31-year-old, went 5.1 innings in a loss to Boston last time out (July 9). He gave up two earned runs.
Shane Bieber (0-1, 7.64 ERA) vs. Davis Martin (9-4, 3.41 ERA)
Bieber, a former Cy Young winner, has struggled since coming off the injured list, throwing only 17.2 innings in four starts. He hasn't finished the fifth inning since June 28 against the Texas Rangers, though he did only give up two earned runs in 4.2 innings in his last start.
The 29-year-old Martin is coming off two straight clunkers. He gave up five earned runs in four innings against Boston on July 8, and walked five in just 3.1 innings at Cleveland on July 2.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber (57) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Denis Poroy-Imagn ImagesTrey Yesavage (4-4, 3.72 ERA) vs. Sean Burke (6-4, 3.41 ERA)
Yesavage lasted just 1.2 innings against San Diego on July 11, walking a staggering seven in that time. Prior to that, he had consecutive quality starts against Seattle and the Mets.
Burke is coming off three straight quality starts, including a seven-inning, one-run gem against the Athletics on July 10.
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