The Jays swept the Rangers in style over the weekend, Vlad looks like a superstar again, the young guys are getting in on the action, and while the season as a whole has been a major disappointment the vibes at the moment are as good as they’ve been. A series win over the Orioles would be a tall order, but we can hope.
Brandon Eisert has been called up as the 27th man for today’s double header. Eisert pitched two innings of scoreles relief back on June 17th. He’s been pretty good down in Buffalo since, striking out 16 against 5 walks in 13.1 innings and posting a 2.03 ERA. The lefty uses a somewhat funky crossfire delivery that hides the ball well and lets his 92mph heater play up. He’s always racked up strikeouts, but command has been an issue, leading to both walks when he misses the zone and home runs when he gets too much of it. If he can dial that in enough, though, he profiles as a decent bullpen lefty. He was #38 on our top 40 prospects last year, but at 26 was too old for inclusion on this year’s list.
Using the extra spot on Eisert means that the Jays will be forced to make a roster move between games to clear space for Bowden Francis, who has been announced as the starter of game two. Most likely that’ll involve optioning Yerry Rodriguez or Zach Pop, but it’s possible that a conveniently timed trade frees up space.
Here are the lineups for game 1:
Go Jays Go!