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With the Toronto Blue Jays on the verge of clinching a postseason berth, they\u2019re also comfortable showcasing promising rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage during the heat of a pennant race. <\/p>\n
Yesavage, 22, will look to build on his stellar major league debut when the visiting Blue Jays attempt to snap a four-game losing streak and avoid a series sweep by the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon. <\/p>\n
Yesavage (0-0, 1.80 ERA) has made a meteoric rise through the Blue Jays\u2019 system. The trajectory began this season at Class A Dunedin and currently has him in the mix to be a key postseason contributor for Toronto (89-66). <\/p>\n
The club\u2019s No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft and the top organizational prospect, Yesavage allowed one run, three hits, two walks and set a club-debut record with nine strikeouts over five innings in a 2-1 victory at Tampa Bay on Monday. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought he could help us win,\u201d Toronto manager John Schneider said of Yesavage, who went 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 25 appearances (22 starts) at different levels of the franchise\u2019s minor league system. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith that being a little unorthodox at this time of year, a young kid making his debut and where we\u2019re at in the season and the standings, it\u2019s good for everyone else here to see what he can do.\u201d <\/p>\n
At the moment, Yesavage can help Toronto get back on track. However, it\u2019s been the offense for the American League East-leading Blue Jays that has been the problem of late, totaling just three runs during the four-game slide. <\/p>\n
Following Friday\u2019s embarrassing 20-1 loss in the series opener, Toronto managed only Daulton Varsho\u2019s homer in the seventh inning of Saturday\u2019s 2-1 defeat. The Blue Jays have had just one at-bat with runners in scoring position through the first two games of this set. <\/p>\n
Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a single on Saturday but is 2-for-15 in the last four games. He\u2019s 3-for-16 against scheduled Royals starter Michael Wacha (9-12, 3.79 ERA).<\/p>\n
Guerrero clubbed a first-inning homer off Wacha on Aug. 1, but the veteran right-hander didn\u2019t yield another run and gave up just two other hits over eight innings in the Royals\u2019 9-3 victory. <\/p>\n
Wacha is 2-2 with a 4.47 ERA in nine career appearances (eight starts) vs. Toronto.<\/p>\n
Wacha will look to rebound from his worst 2025 outing from Tuesday, when he yielded seven runs and nine hits in just 2 2\/3 innings of a 12-5 home loss to Seattle. It was Wacha\u2019s return to the Royals rotation after missing a start due to a concussion. <\/p>\n
Kansas City (78-77), still mathematically alive in the AL postseason race, has won two straight contests for the first time since a three-game run from Sept. 4-6. Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning Saturday off Shane Bieber. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust put some runs on the board and we\u2019re going to keep fighting until the end,\u201d Witt told FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City. <\/p>\n
Pasquantino has hit safely in 11 straight games and is batting .397 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in the last 16 contests. <\/p>\n
\u2013Field Level Media<\/p>\n