The Toronto Blue Jays have seen a steep fall from grace over the past two weeks and are in desperate need of getting Jose Bautista back into the lineup. The hitter is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday or Wednesday which comes at the right time with Toronto slumping after leading the American League. They will face off again the Milwaukee Brewers who are in need of some momentum themselves.
The Blue Jays were leading their division, but now sit in second-to-last place with a 7-15 record after winning 20 of 24 games. One more loss and they tie a season-word losing streak. The team is struggling to bring runners in, going 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position in their past three losses. They suffered their fifth shutout of the season against the Chicago White Sox.
Getting Bautista back will be a huge help. He has been out since June 22 with a strained hamstring. The slugger has 15 home runs and 49 RBIS in 78 games while homering in his last three games against the Bucks. The Blue Jays plan to use him as a designated hitter in the matchup. Toronto will send Drew Hutchison to the mound. He has given up at least four runs in four of his last six outings, not giving the Blue Jays much to work with. He gave up four runs and seven hits to the New York Yankees on Wednesday.
The Brewers are have things working in their favor right now. They have the best record in the National League, winning 10 of their last 12 games away from home. However, they are at risk of being without Carlos Gomez who suffered a neck injury during a collision with Ryan Braun. He has five home runs and 14 RBIs in his last few interleague games. The Brewers will start Marco Estrada who is 7-4 with a 6.94 ERA over his last seven starts. However, he keeps getting wins thanks to the 9.8 run support average the Brewers are posting when he is on the mound.
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