Blue Jays, White Sox set for rubber game
CHICAGO -- The Toronto Blue Jays will try to stay hot at the plate when they wrap up a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Toronto sluggers Justin Smoak and Josh Donaldson have homered in back-to-back games. The Blue Jays have a total of eight home runs in the past three games.
Donaldson will try to take advantage of his final game of the season at Guaranteed Rate Field. He has a .342 batting average in 32 career games against the White Sox.
"He looks good," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He was in a tough stretch, but you know it's just a matter of time. He's too good of a hitter. He works hard at it."
Toronto (50-57) needs a win to even the season series at three wins apiece against the White Sox. Chicago has won the season series in each of the previous five seasons, a franchise record.
A win in the rubber match would give Chicago (41-63) its first series victory since taking two out of three against the Texas Rangers from June 30-July 2. The White Sox are 3-14 since the All-Star break.
Emotions could be high one day after the teams emptied their benches amid a war of words between Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman and Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson. Both players stood their ground during their postgame comments Tuesday, blaming the other for the incident.
Anderson said Stroman "cries like he always does" about hitters who step out of the batter's box. Meanwhile, Stroman chided Anderson for chirping on his way back to the dugout after a strikeout.
"I don't regret anything I did," Anderson said. "I stood up like I was supposed to, and it happened."
Toronto left-hander J.A. Happ (3-8, 4.15 ERA) is slated to face the White Sox in his 15th start of the season. The 11-year veteran has lost his past three decisions and is seeking his first victory since July 4.
In four career starts against the White Sox, Happ is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA. He has walked six and struck out 25 in 25 innings. That includes a nine-strikeout performance on June 18 in which Happ posted a quality start and earned a win over the White Sox. He gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Happ, 34, is no stranger to pitching in the Chicago region. He grew up in the small town of Peru, Ill., which is about 100 miles southwest of where the White Sox play. Happ pitched at Northwestern in the Chicago suburb of Evanston.
For the White Sox, left-hander Derek Holland (5-10, 5.42 ERA) is scheduled to make his 21st start. Holland has not earned a win in his past seven outings, going 0-4 with a 9.09 ERA.
Holland, 30, is 3-3 with a 6.99 ERA in nine career games (eight starts) against the Blue Jays. His last outing against Toronto was May 5, 2016, when he gave up 11 runs on 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings.
