Blue Jays Add Pop as 29th Man for O's Twin Bill
The Blue Jays have re-called reliever Zach Pop from Triple A Buffalo ahead of Monday's doubleheader versus the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
The flamethrowing right-hander has been steady (2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings) since Toronto acquired him from the Marlins at the trade deadline, but was optioned to the Bisons on August 23.
Pop's demotion was a bit of a head-scratching move, given his modest success and unique skillset, but, in all likelihood, the move was more about giving the 25-year-old more time to fine-tune ahead of the playoff push.
While the weather forecast could interrupt the schedule, Toronto is slated to play the first game against Baltimore at 1 .pm. ET, with the second game tentatively expected to begin sometime around 4:40 p.m.
This is a massive series for the Blue Jays, who hold just a 1.5-game lead over the O's for the final AL wild-card spot and have 10 games remaining versus Baltimore.
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas