Oakland Athletics pitcher Sonny Gray works against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 16, 2016, in Oakland. He'll pitch in the series opener against the Jays.
ROGERS CENTRE
Friday, 7 p.m.
RH Sonny Gray (2-1, 2.33 ERA) vs. RH Aaron Sanchez (1-0, 1.35)
Saturday, 1 p.m.
RH Chris Bassitt (0-0, 2.79) vs. LH J.A. Happ (2-0, 1.89)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
LH Eric Surkamp (0-1, 3.68) vs. RH Marcus Stroman (3-0, 4.13)
TV: Friday/Saturday (Sportsnet One), Sunday (Sportsnet)
RADIO: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
KEY PLAYERS
Valencia and Donaldson
Josh Donaldson’s move from Oakland to Toronto was one of the most — if not the most — significant trades by the Jays in the last decade. Danny Valencia, meanwhile, left Toronto with little fanfare, but found a home in Oakland. He was removed from Wednesday’s game against the Yankees with a left hamstring strain after a play at the plate, though, and might not be a factor in his Rogers Centre return.
NEED TO KNOW
The Gray-Sanchez matchup pits two of the finest young pitchers in the league. Gray has 17 strikeouts and has pitched into at least the sixth inning in all three of his starts. Jose Bautista is the only Jays regular with a home run off him. Sanchez, meanwhile, has been overpowering in his three starts, piling up 20 strikeouts. . . . Jays catcher Russell Martin will need to watch the A’s on the basepaths. They like to take the extra base, while Billy Burns and Coco Crisp have three steals apiece. . . . The A’s were 5-0 on the road heading into Thursday night’s game at Yankee Stadium.
