Toronto's rotation gets tested again this week, starting with Shane Bieber taking the ball against JP Sears to open a series against the San Diego Padres.
Bieber's return has been rough so far, carrying a 9.00 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP through his first three starts back.
Sears isn't exactly riding a hot streak either, posting a 4.70 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP across just three starts of his own this season.
Both pitchers are working with small samples, which makes tonight's opener a bit of a gamble for either side heading into the series.
Trey Yesavage follows in game two against Walker Buehler, and this matchup tilts heavily in Toronto's favor on paper.
Yesavage has been one of the best stories in Toronto's rotation, sitting at a 3.31 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 68 strikeouts across 73 and one third innings.
Buehler has struggled to match his track record this year, carrying a 5.07 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP over 18 starts for San Diego.
Gausman's finale start carries extra weight this month
Kevin Gausman closes out the series against German Marquez, and both arms come in dealing with their own inconsistency this season.
Gausman is 4-8 with a 4.40 ERA over 19 starts, numbers that have fueled real trade deadline speculation around his future in Toronto.
Marquez has made just eight starts for San Diego, posting a 5.02 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP, hardly the kind of form that scares an opposing lineup.
Toronto enters the series at 44-49, riding a two game winning streak that includes a 10-0 blowout to close out San Francisco.
San Diego sits at 46-47, third in the National League West, having dropped its last game and gone just 3-7 over its last 10.
It's a series where neither rotation looks especially sharp on paper, which usually means whichever offense shows up ready wins the whole thing.
Does Yesavage's strong season carry enough weight to guarantee a win in game two, or does a shaky Padres lineup even matter against arms performing like these?
Which Blue Jays starter worries you most heading into this Padres series?
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