Blue Jays aim to end RISP woes against Astros

The Toronto Blue Jays have been littering the bases with stranded runners, something they will aim to change Wednesday night in their rubber match against the visiting Houston Astros.

Toronto has stranded 26 runners -- 13 in each game -- in splitting the first two matchups of the series.

Squandered chances proved costly Tuesday in the Blue Jays' 9-7 loss in 11 innings.

Toronto was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position Tuesday and 1-for-9 in the same category Monday in a 4-2 win.

The Astros also struggled with runners in scoring position, going 3-for-15, while stranding 11 on Tuesday and were 2-for-8 while stranding six on Monday.

It has become a regular problem for the Blue Jays. They rank 25th in the majors with a .236 average with runners in scoring position, and the Astros are 13th at .250.

The Blue Jays left five runners on base over the first two innings on Tuesday without scoring.

"You've just got to swing at the right pitches," manager John Schneider said Tuesday. "Understand that you're in the driver's seat with runners in scoring position. If you've got to shrink the zone a little bit, you shrink the zone."

The Blue Jays will try to begin their 10-game homestand with a series win. They are scheduled to start right-hander Trey Yesavage (3-3, 3.76 ERA) on Wednesday. He has never faced Houston.

The Astros are scheduled to start right-hander Mike Burrows (3-8, 5.79 ERA), who has never opposed the Blue Jays, in an attempt to take their fourth straight series.

Burrows had a stint in the bullpen this past weekend and tossed a run-less inning against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

"Hopefully this break will help him kind of get a little blow," Astros manager Joe Espada said. "And then we'll see where it takes us. That's a pretty good Toronto offense, and we feel like he's in a good spot. So one day at a time."

The Astros maintained a chance to win the series when former Blue Jay Joey Loperfido hit a three-run homer with two out in the 11th on Tuesday. The Astros' 4-0 lead became a 6-4 deficit before they scored twice in the ninth to tie the game.

Loperfido was traded back to Houston by Toronto in the offseason.

"I think anybody that's been traded, anytime they play against their former team, I'm sure they want to have good at-bats," Loperfido said on Tuesday. "And I feel the same way. So, just good timing. We used everybody off the bench, guys coming in out of the ‘pen. It takes a team to win those ballgames, and hopefully we can win a series here tomorrow."

Houston shortstop Jeremy Pena did not start Tuesday's game after leaving the series opener in the sixth inning with cramping in the right hamstring. He entered Tuesday as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning and walked in going 0-for-1.

Toronto infielder Ernie Clement did not play Tuesday because of a hip issue. He was available off the bench.

"Trying to get ahead of it and give him a breather ... ," Schneider said. "We didn't want him to take a step back."

With Toronto's Shane Bieber making his season debut Tuesday (four runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings) after being out with elbow inflammation, Lazaro Estrada was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo, and Hayden Juenger was designated for assignment.

-Field Level Media