Oakland @ Toronto preview
Rogers Centre
Last Meeting ( May 1, 2010 ) Oakland 4, Toronto 3
After one swing of the bat, suddenly the Oakland Athletics have a glut of catchers.
A day after placing starting catcher Kurt Suzuki on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his side, Josh Donaldson made his first major league hit a meaningful one.
Donaldson highly regarded catcher, was called up to fill in for the ailing Suzuki. The a 24-year-old Donaldson hit a two-run homer that gave the struggling A’s a 3-0 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday en route to a 4-3 win.
The two teams wrap up their four-game series today at the Rogers Centre.
Donaldson’s blast was the first home run the Blue Jays had allowed in over six games. His success could make things interesting for the club at the trading deadline.
Before the season started the Boston Red Sox expressed interest in Suzuki, a solid defensive catcher who has improved his offensive skills along the way.
The Red Sox are desperate for a catcher so they could move Victor Martinez to either designated hitter to replace the struggling David Ortiz or to first base.
The Athletics also have 19-year-old Max Stassi poised to take the fast track through their farm system.
Stassi is regarded as a can’t-miss prospect and destined for a spot in the majors sooner rather than later. Stassi was Oakland’s fourth-round draft pick in the 2009 amateur draft who signed with the club out of high school.
While Stassi may still be a couple of years away from the majors, Donaldson’s presence could make Suzuki expendable.
Saturday’s win snapped a six-game road losing streak for the Athletics, whose roster has been besieged by injuries lately. Gio Gonzalez (3-1) got the win and Andrew Bailey closed it out.
Bailey has now appeared in nine games with allowing a run. He retired all four batters he faced for his third save of the season.
Oakland will start Ben Sheets today. Sheets (1-2), who started for the A’s on opening day, was blasted by the Tampa Bay Rays in his last outing after two solid performances in a row.
Sheets is a four-time All-Star who missed the entire 2009 season following elbow surgery.
Toronto will be sad to see the Athletics leave. Despite Saturday’s loss, Toronto has beaten Oakland in 14 of their last 18 meetings. The Blue Jays will also send their Opening Day starter to the mound in right-hander Shaun Marcum.
Marcum has made five starts but has just one decision, a 7-5 loss against the Los Angeles Angels. Still, Marcum has pitched well. He has a 3.44 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just seven walks in 34 innings.
After belting seven homers in their past two games the Blue Jays failed to hit one Saturday. They still lead the American League with 35 home runs.