The set-up: The Toronto Blue Jays opened last season with nine losses in the first 10 games and a 6-17 record through April 28. The team was coming off back-to-back ALCS appearances but the Jays never recovered from their poor April start (finished 76-86, 17 games back of the division-leading Red Sox). Toronto opened the 2018 season by dropping its first two contests but has since taken nine of 12 (getting timely hitting despite a .230 team batting average plus solid pitching). to check in at 9-5. The Blue Jays won Friday night in Cleveland but saw Saturday and Sunday's games postponed due to poor weather conditions and now open a three-game series against the visiting Kansas City Royals on Monday. The Royals also had their game against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday postponed and may have needed the break after losing five straight contests in which they gave up a total of 29 runs. After going 1-5 in their recently completed homestand (with one rainout), the Royals begin a seven-game road trip tonight in Toronto.

The pitching matchup: Lefty Eric Skoglund (0-1, 9.64 ERA) makes his second start of 2018 fro KC with the Blue Jays will hand the ball to another lefty, Jaime Garcia (1-0, 3.18 ERA). Skoglund struggled badly in his only start of the season to-date, allowing five ERs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings last on Tuesday in an 8-3 loss to Seattle. He has not won since his major-league debut on May 30 of last year, when he limited Detroit to two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless frames. Skoglund is 0-3 with a 13.22 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances since the victory. He faces the Blue Jays for the first time in his career after being moved back a day due to Sunday's postponement. Newcomer Jaime Garcia, who originally was slated to pitch Saturday, gets the start here. He recorded his first win with the Blue Jays in his last start on April 8 ( a 7-4 win), allowing three runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings at Texas. He didn't get a decision in his 2018 debut but pitched even better in that one. He gave up just one run and four hits while striking out seven over six frames in that no-decision (Toronto won 4-2). Garcia is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in five career starts against the Royals.

The pick: Toronto's combined timely hitting and solid pitching in winning nine of their last 12, while the Royals' offense seems headed nowhere, with the team opening 3-10. KC owns a team BA of .231 (20th), while averaging 3.00 RPG (29th). KC has hit just five HRs (30th) with an OPS of .623 (27th). When healthy, Garcia is a quality starter and he should have little trouble with this KC lineup. As for KC's Skoglund, he hardly looks like even a borderline MLB starter. Make Toronto an 8* play.