The Toronto Blue Jays will look to complete their third series sweep of the season Sunday when they wrap up their three-game set against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Toronto has won seven of its last 10 games and has posted a 2.42 team ERA over that span, putting the Blue Jays in position for a sweep for the first time since taking all three games from the Boston Red Sox in June (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT).
Toronto took a dramatic 7-5 victory in 11 innings Saturday night, with Nathan Lukes delivering a two-run homer in the 11th to put the Blue Jays ahead for good. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also homered and drove in two runs in his return to the lineup. The win came after the Phillies erased a two-run Toronto lead with four runs in the sixth, including back-to-back home runs from Trea Turner and Bryce Harper.
The Blue Jays also got a memorable performance from Max Scherzer, who moved into 10th place on MLB’s all-time strikeout list by passing Hall of Famer Walter Johnson. Scherzer struck out five over five innings, giving Toronto another strong outing from its rotation as the club continues to pitch well during its recent 7-3 stretch.
Shane Bieber gets the start Sunday for Toronto, looking to build on his recent outings as he continues to work his way back into form. Bieber enters with a 3-2 record, 5.11 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 28 strikeouts.
The Phillies counter with left-hander Jesus Luzardo, who has been one of their better starters this season. Luzardo is 10-5 with a 3.36 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 164 strikeouts.
Toronto enters Sunday at 56-62 overall and 28-31 on the road, while Philadelphia sits at 62-56 and 31-30 at home. The Blue Jays have won three of the first five meetings between the teams this season and can take the season series with another victory.
Ernie Clement continues to lead Toronto with a .285 batting average and has nine home runs and 27 doubles, while Andres Gimenez is 10-for-32 with a home run and four RBIs over his last 10 games. The Blue Jays’ pitching staff has been the bigger story lately, however, allowing just 24 runs over the team’s last 10 games.