Max Scherzer gave John Schneider a clearer Blue Jays pitching map Sunday as Toronto lined up one Phillies starter and left two big openings behind it.
Monday is the only game Toronto has locked down. The Blue Jays' probable-pitchers page lists Patrick Corbin against Cristopher Sánchez for the opener at Rogers Centre.
Tuesday is still sitting at to be determined on Toronto's side, with Zack Wheeler lined up for Philadelphia. That empty slot is where the real suspense in this series starts.
Wednesday looks the same from the Blue Jays' end. Toronto still has no announced starter there either, while the Phillies are set to send Jesús Luzardo.
Those 2 open spots matter because Dylan Cease is getting close. Toronto's injury tracker says he could «very likely» return for his next start after throwing 75 pitches in a Triple-A rehab outing on June 4.
Scherzer is right in that same conversation. He threw 73 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in Buffalo on June 5, and Toronto still lists his return window as early-to-mid June.
That is what turns this Phillies set into more than a normal series. It could be the week Toronto stops patching innings and starts looking like a full rotation again.
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Tuesday and Wednesday are where the story sits
Officially, Schneider has not named either starter yet. But with Tuesday and Wednesday both marked TBD, the cleanest read is that those are the lanes for Cease and Scherzer if the club decides each is ready.
Cease looks like the more immediate fit. He went on the 15-day injured list on May 25 with a mild left hamstring strain, and MLB.com reported he could slide right back into the rotation during this Phillies series if the next couple of days go well.
Scherzer's case is a little different because his road back has been longer. He has been out since April 27 with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation, so Toronto may still choose a little caution even after the strong workload.
The matchup strength on the other side only adds to it. Sánchez carries a 7-2 record and a 1.46 ERA into Monday, while Wheeler brings a 5-1 mark and a 2.31 ERA into Tuesday.
Toronto also needs this length badly. The club is 31-34, and MLB.com has tracked how injuries to Cease, Scherzer, José Berrios, Cody Ponce and others have kept the Blue Jays chasing coverage instead of rolling through a settled staff.
So the pitching picture is set enough to read, even if it is not final yet. Corbin goes first, then the Blue Jays will decide whether Max Scherzer and Dylan Cease are ready to turn Tuesday and Wednesday from question marks into the rotation boost this club has been waiting on.
Should the Blue Jays use Max Scherzer and Dylan Cease right away against Philadelphia?
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