Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt will try to continue his run of success against the host Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternoon in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Bassitt (6-6, 3.80 ERA) has pitched 14 scoreless innings while going 1-0 in two career starts against the Brewers. He last faced Milwaukee on June 14, 2022, when he pitched eight shutout innings in New York as a member of the Mets.
The Blue Jays will be looking for a winning six-game road trip on Wednesday after defeating the Brewers 3-0 on Tuesday. Milwaukee had won its previous six home games.
Toronto is 3-2 on the trip after splitting the first two games of the series that opens the Brewers’ six-game homestand.
Milwaukee is scheduled to start Tobias Myers (2-2, 4.15). The rookie right-hander is coming off a career-best, eight-inning outing on Friday, when he held the host Detroit Tigers to one hit in a 10-0 victory.
The Brewers had their chances on Tuesday, stranding 10 runners and going 0-for-12 with six strikeouts with runners in scoring position. They stranded seven runners in the first three innings against left-hander Yusei Kikuchi.
“(Kikuchi) made some big pitches at big times,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Their relief staff did the same thing. We had our opportunities and didn’t break through. You can go back and look at the video and see if we left the zone.”
Toronto manager John Schneider said, “(Kikuchi) kept his composure. Tight zone. I thought he made really good pitches. The fastball was really good tonight against a good hitting team. As the game went on, he paired his curve and slider with it really well. Credit to him. He had to really battle.”
Toronto stranded nine runners but went 5-for-12 within runners in scoring position. Two of the Blue Jays’ runs came against Milwaukee starter Carlos Rodriguez, who lasted 3 2/3 innings in his major league debut. The 22-year-old right-hander allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out four.
Rodriguez became the 12th pitcher to start a game for Milwaukee this season.
“The fastball was definitely a good pitch today,” he said. “I got a lot of swing and miss on it when I wanted to go up with it. I was missing up a lot. I probably should’ve thrown a couple more lower ones.”
Rodriguez is the only native Nicaraguan currently on an active big-league roster and the 16th to have played in the majors all-time.
“It’s a great honor,” he said. “It’s really a great honor for me to have my country on the map again.”
Murphy said, “I thought he showed tremendous poise. I was very pleased with what I saw. A 22-year-old kid, to come out there and do what he did against a really good lineup, I thought he handled himself very, very well and didn’t seem like a rookie at all.”
Milwaukee’s Joey Ortiz (hamstring) was a late scratch on Tuesday, with Andruw Monasterio taking his place at third base and going 0-for-2 with a walk.
Ortiz will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
“Hopefully it’s not long-term,” Murphy said.
Toronto center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (right knee contusion) left the game in the seventh inning. He fouled a ball off the knee in the fourth.
When Milwaukee selected the contract of Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville, right-hander Kevin Herget was optioned to Nashville. Right-hander James Meeker was designated for assignment.
–Field Level Media