The Toronto Blue Jays are set to showcase their newest ace on Saturday, as Dylan Cease makes his much-anticipated debut. The Blue Jays made a bold move in the off-season by securing Cease, a hard-throwing right-hander with the potential to be a Cy Young contender year after year. With a bolstered defense backing him up, Cease is poised to make a significant impact.
Cease will be looking to match or even surpass Kevin Gausman’s impressive Opening Day performance, where Gausman pitched six innings and allowed just one run while racking up 11 strikeouts in a thrilling 3-2 walk-off victory over the Athletics.
Friday’s win was driven by the bottom third of the lineup, with Kazuma Okamoto, Ernie Clement, and Andrés Giménez each collecting two hits out of the team’s seven total. As the Blue Jays face lefty Jeffrey Springs from the Athletics, there have been some strategic adjustments in the lineup.
Myles Straw enters the lineup against the left-hander, with Clement and Giménez positioned at seventh and ninth in the batting order, respectively. Okamoto has been promoted to the cleanup spot, while Davis Schneider makes his second appearance in the two hole. George Springer leads off, followed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the third spot, Alejandro Kirk batting fifth, and Daulton Varsho hitting sixth.
A victory in this game would mark the Blue Jays’ first 2-0 start to a season since 2022. The action kicks off at 3:07 PM ET in Toronto, with fans able to catch the game on Sportsnet and SN590.
Starting Pitchers:
- Toronto Blue Jays: Dylan Cease (0-0, 0 ERA)
- Athletics: Jeffrey Springs (0-0, 0 ERA)
Blue Jays Lineup:
- George Springer - DH
- Davis Schneider - LF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B
- Kazuma Okamoto - 3B
- Alejandro Kirk - C
- Daulton Varsho - CF
- Ernie Clement - 2B
- Myles Straw - RF
- Andrés Giménez
Athletics Lineup:
- Nick Kurtz - 1B
- Shea Langeliers - C
- Tyler Soderstrom - LF
- Brent Rooker - DH
- Jacob Wilson - SS
- Jeff McNeil - 2B
- Max Muncy - 3B
- Carlos Cortes - RF
- Denzel Clarke - CF
Get ready for what promises to be an exciting matchup as the Blue Jays aim to build on their strong start to the season.