At 1:37 pm ET, my Early Riser selection is on the Toronto Blue Jays. Give me the hot veteran starter backed by the better lineup against the cold youngster. Twenty-three year old Quinn Priester is 0-4 with a 4.33 ERA. He's got a 4.86 ERA and an obscene 1.74 WHIP his past 3 starts. Priester had an ERA near 5 in May. Veteran Chris Bassitt had a 2.40 ERA in May and a 1.53 ERA his last 3 starts. In four daytime starts, Bassitt has a 2.78 ERA,

The Blue Jays are still fighting desperately to get back into the playoff mix. They won Bassitt's last 2 starts by a 14-3 combined score. Bassitt has a 1.44 career ERA against them and is 3-0 versus the Pirates since 2022. Scores were 4-0, 5-1 and 5-1. Bassitt allowed 1 run in 20 combined innings! Play on Toronto.