Pirates bring 1-0 series lead over Blue Jays into game 2

By Canadian Press on August 19, 2025.

Toronto Blue Jays (73-53, first in the AL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (53-73, fifth in the NL Central)

Pittsburgh; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Blue Jays: Max Scherzer (3-2, 3.83 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 52 strikeouts); Pirates: Mitch Keller (5-11, 4.13 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 112 strikeouts)

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blue Jays -148, Pirates +123; over/under is 8 runs

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Toronto Blue Jays with a 1-0 series lead.

Pittsburgh has a 53-73 record overall and a 35-29 record in home games. Pirates pitchers have a collective 4.02 ERA, which ranks eighth in the NL.

Toronto is 31-32 in road games and 73-53 overall. Blue Jays hitters are batting a collective .268, the highest team batting average in MLB play.

Tuesday’s game is the second time these teams meet this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bryan Reynolds has 27 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs for the Pirates. Nick Gonzales is 11 for 41 with a double over the past 10 games.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 21 home runs, 71 walks and 69 RBIs while hitting .298 for the Blue Jays. Davis Schneider is 11 for 29 with two doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .215 batting average, 6.04 ERA, outscored by 32 runs

Blue Jays: 5-5, .247 batting average, 4.55 ERA, outscored by five runs

INJURIES: Pirates: Oneil Cruz: 7-Day IL (concussion), Endy Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Enmanuel Valdez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Justin Lawrence: 60-Day IL (elbow), Tim Mayza: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jared Jones: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: day-to-day (hamstring), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bowden Francis: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Burr: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Nick Sandlin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (ankle), Anthony Santander: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alek Manoah: 60-Day IL (elbow), Angel Bastardo: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press