Toronto @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 10, 2015 ) Miami 2, Toronto 7

Aaron Sanchez could use a strong finish to another injury-marred campaign as he and the Toronto Blue Jays glance toward improvement in 2019. Sanchez will try to recover from a rocky start his last time out when he climbs the hill for the Blue Jays in the opener of a three-game series at the Miami Marlins on Friday.

The 26-year-old, who has struggled to stay healthy since a dynamic All-Star effort in 2016, gave up six runs over four innings in his return from the disabled list against Philadelphia on Saturday. Sanchez will be tasked with trying to get the Blue Jays out of their latest slide, which reached four straight losses with Wednesday's 10-5 loss at Baltimore. They've been outscored 37-13 during the losing streak and have lost seven in a row on the road - their longest such slide since a seven-gamer in 2014 - while posting a 9.77 ERA in that stretch. The Marlins lost leads in back-to-back games at Fenway Park earlier in the week, including Wednesday's affair in which the bullpen was rocked for 11 runs in one inning of a 14-6 loss.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, TVA (Toronto), FS Florida (Miami)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-5, 4.95 ERA) vs. Marlins RH Dan Straily (5-6, 4.35)

Sanchez is 4-8 with a 4.74 ERA in 24 starts over the last two years after going 15-2 with an American League-leading 3.00 mark in 2016. Despite the rocky outing against the Phillies, he is 4-1 with a 2.68 mark in his career in interleague play. The California native has never faced the Marlins.

Straily snapped a five-game winless streak with six scoreless innings against Atlanta last Friday. His one interleague game this year resulted in seven innings of one-run ball at Tampa Bay on July 20, and the 29-year-old is 7-5 with a 3.87 ERA in his career against the opposing league. Kendrys Morales is 4-for-9 with two homers, one double and two walks against Straily.

WALK-OFFS

1. Morales is 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in two games since he put together a streak of seven straight contests with a home run.

2. Marlins C J.T. Realmuto is 5-for-11 with a home run, a double and five RBIs during a three-game hitting streak.

3. Toronto won five of the last six meetings, including all three when the teams last met in 2015.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 5, Marlins 4