The Blue Jays, still dealing with a string of injuries to the pitching staff, will opt for a spot starter the second game of a series against the Tigers
The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to avoid a sweep at the hands of their American League East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays, in the third of a three-game series at 7:07 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
The Blue Jays dropped the first two games of the series against the Rays and are 0-5 in their last five matchups against their divisional foes.
After Toronto concludes its series against Tampa Bay, it will head back to the states for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers from May 15-17 at Comerica Park in Detroit.
The Blue Jays will have Trey Yesavage on the mound for the series opener at 6:45 p.m. ET on Friday and Kevin Gausman on the hill for the series finale at 1:40 p.m. ET on Sunday.
As for game two of the series, who will be on the mound is still undecided.
According to a post on "X" from Sportsnet columnist Shi Davidi, Toronto will opt for a spot-starter for the second game of the series. According to comments made by Blue Jays manager John Schneider, the starter could be Spencer Miles based on his usage in the series finale against the Rays and the opener against the Tigers, which both precede Saturday's matchup.
If Miles does get the nod in game two against Detroit, it would mark his second start of the season.
Entering Wednesday, Miles has a 3.00 ERA and has struck out 18 hitters in 21 innings pitched across 12 outings (one start) this season, which is his first in the major leagues.
Miles was originally acquired by Toronto from the San Francisco Giants in the Rule 5 Draft this past December. He was originally selected by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Missouri.
Miles broke camp with the Blue Jays and has provided valuable multi-inning coverage for the starting rotation and the bullpen, who have been hit with a mounting pile of injuries this season.
Toronto still has four starting pitchers — Jose Berrios, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber — on the injured list.
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Cody Ponce is carted off the field during a game against the Colorado Rockies on March 30 at Rogers Centre in Toronto. | Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images.Berrios' status is still uncertain after a recent visit with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister.
Based on the uncertainty of Berrios' recent setback, it could be months before the Blue Jays see him, Bieber or Scherzer back in the fold. Ponce is out for the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair a sprained ACL.
Given the status of the injured hurlers, Saturday could end up being just the second of several spot starts for MIles.
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