<p>The Toronto Blue Jays will have a new-look lineup Saturday afternoon against the Washington Nationals.</p>
<p></p>
<p>After weeks of saying he <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/2024/05/04/blue-jays-manager-john-schneider-changes-tune-on-urgency-not-waiting-around-for-it-to-happen-is-very-very-important/">wouldn&#8217;t make changes to the top of the order</a>, skipper John Schneider has done just that, dropping Bo Bichette down to fifth in the order, while elevating Daulton Varsho up the lineup to the two spot.</p>
<p>It comes amid a career-worst run for Bichette, <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/gdb-33-0-blue-jays-open-three-game-series-against-nationals">whose struggles at the plate</a> have reached a tipping point.</p>
<p>The change is minor in comparison to what could&#8217;ve been done, as George Springer remains in the leadoff spot despite looking nothing like a leadoff hitter, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is slowly starting to rebound, hits third.</p>
<p>Varsho&#8217;s elevation, meanwhile, is well-deserved and potentially even overdue. He&#8217;s been excellent at the plate slashing .227/.318/.485 for a .803 OPS. He&#8217;s hit a team-leading six home runs this year, with reverse splits where he&#8217;s actually hitting lefties (.941 OPS) better than righties (.766 OPS).</p>
<p>The Jays as a whole, meanwhile, will look to put something — <em>anything</em> — together that resembles a full game against the Nationals. Despite getting an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/2024/05/03/instant-reaction-blue-jays-allowed-eight-runs-in-the-final-two-innings-and-fell-9-3-to-the-nationals/">during Friday&#8217;s game</a>, the Jays squandered the lead as the bullpen imploded, allowing eight combined runs across the seventh and eighth innings.</p>
<p>While much can be said about Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza and Genesis Cabrera coughing up the lead, the truth of the matter is the Jays weren&#8217;t able to add any runs of their own after their successful second inning. That&#8217;s a major problem, given the Nationals had the ever-struggling Patrick Corbin on the mound.</p>
<p>Hopefully, they will fare better against Jake Irvin on Saturday afternoon.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong>First pitch:</strong></p>
<p>4:05 p.m. EST. TV &amp; Radio: Sportsnet.</p>
<p><strong>Weather:</strong></p>
<p>14º C, 14 km/h winds from right field in.</p>
<p>&#8220;Looks much better now than earlier&#8230; still some light showers, but off and on light showers shouldn&#8217;t stop the game.&#8221;- Kevin Roth, <a href="https://rotogrinders.com/weather/mlb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rotogrinders</a></p>
<h2><strong>Starting pitchers:</strong></h2>
<table style="width: 575px;">
<thead>
<tr>
<th class="align-left fixed " style="width: 116px;" data-col="0" data-col-id="Name" data-stat="Name">Name</th>
<th class="align-left highlight-sort" style="width: 50px;" data-col="1" data-col-id="Team" data-stat="Team">Team</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 27px;" data-col="2" data-col-id="GS" data-stat="GS">GS</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 22px;" data-col="3" data-col-id="W" data-stat="W">W</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 15px;" data-col="4" data-col-id="L" data-stat="L">L</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 37px;" data-col="5" data-col-id="IP" data-stat="IP">IP</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 41px;" data-col="6" data-col-id="ERA" data-stat="ERA">ERA</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 50px;" data-col="7" data-col-id="xERA" data-stat="xERA">xERA</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 47px;" data-col="8" data-col-id="ERA-" data-stat="ERA-">ERA-</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 34px;" data-col="9" data-col-id="FIP" data-stat="FIP">FIP</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 55px;" data-col="10" data-col-id="WHIP" data-stat="WHIP">WHIP</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 35px;" data-col="11" data-col-id="K/9" data-stat="K/9">K/9</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 46px;" data-col="12" data-col-id="BB/9" data-stat="BB/9">BB/9</p>
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div>
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="is-selected__invalid">
<td class="align-left fixed" style="width: 116px;" data-col-id="Name" data-stat="Name"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/kevin-gausman/14107/stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Gausman</a></td>
<td class="align-left highlight-sort" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="Team" data-stat="Team"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=c%2C8%2C4%2C5%2C13%2C6%2C332%2C117%2C45%2C42%2C36%2C37&amp;month=0&amp;ind=0&amp;team=14&amp;rost=0&amp;age=0&amp;filter=&amp;players=14107%2C21504&amp;startdate=&amp;enddate=&amp;page=1_50&amp;v_cr=202301&amp;season1=2024&amp;season=2024&amp;sortcol=1&amp;sortdir=asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TOR</a></td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 27px;" data-col-id="GS" data-stat="GS">6</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 22px;" data-col-id="W" data-stat="W">1</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 15px;" data-col-id="L" data-stat="L">3</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 37px;" data-col-id="IP" data-stat="IP">28.0</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 41px;" data-col-id="ERA" data-stat="ERA">4.50</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="xERA" data-stat="xERA">5.78</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 47px;" data-col-id="ERA-" data-stat="ERA-">120</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 34px;" data-col-id="FIP" data-stat="FIP">4.10</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 55px;" data-col-id="WHIP" data-stat="WHIP">1.36</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 35px;" data-col-id="K/9" data-stat="K/9">7.39</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 46px;" data-col-id="BB/9" data-stat="BB/9">1.93</td>
</tr>
<tr class="is-selected__invalid">
<td class="align-left fixed" style="width: 116px;" data-col-id="Name" data-stat="Name"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jake-irvin/21504/stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Irvin</a></td>
<td class="align-left highlight-sort" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="Team" data-stat="Team"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=c%2C8%2C4%2C5%2C13%2C6%2C332%2C117%2C45%2C42%2C36%2C37&amp;month=0&amp;ind=0&amp;team=24&amp;rost=0&amp;age=0&amp;filter=&amp;players=14107%2C21504&amp;startdate=&amp;enddate=&amp;page=1_50&amp;v_cr=202301&amp;season1=2024&amp;season=2024&amp;sortcol=1&amp;sortdir=asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WSN</a></td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 27px;" data-col-id="GS" data-stat="GS">6</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 22px;" data-col-id="W" data-stat="W">2</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 15px;" data-col-id="L" data-stat="L">2</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 37px;" data-col-id="IP" data-stat="IP">33.2</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 41px;" data-col-id="ERA" data-stat="ERA">4.28</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="xERA" data-stat="xERA">4.69</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 47px;" data-col-id="ERA-" data-stat="ERA-">105</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 34px;" data-col-id="FIP" data-stat="FIP">3.37</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 55px;" data-col-id="WHIP" data-stat="WHIP">1.19</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 35px;" data-col-id="K/9" data-stat="K/9">6.95</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 46px;" data-col-id="BB/9" data-stat="BB/9">1.87</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Teams:</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-72576" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/2024-05-04.png" alt="" width="1367" height="717" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/2024-05-04.png 1367w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/2024-05-04-300x157.png 300w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/2024-05-04-1024x537.png 1024w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/2024-05-04-768x403.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1367px) 100vw, 1367px" /></p>
<p><em>&#8211; Data via Baseball-Reference</em></p>
<h2>Lineups:</h2>
<hr />
<p><strong>BLUE JAYS:</strong></p>
<div class="starting-lineups__teams starting-lineups__teams--xs starting-lineups__teams--md starting-lineups__teams--lg">
<blockquote><p>G Springer (R) RF<br />
D Varsho (L) LF<br />
V Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B<br />
J Turner (R) 3B<br />
B Bichette (R) SS<br />
D Vogelbach (L) DH<br />
D Jansen (R) C<br />
C Biggio (L) 2B<br />
K Kiermaier (L) CF</p></blockquote>
<hr />
</div>
<div class="starting-lineups__buttons starting-lineups__buttons--bottom">
<div class="p-button-group" role="group">
<div class="p-button p-button--regular starting-lineups__button"><strong>NATIONALS:</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
<blockquote><p>C Abrams (L) SS<br />
N Senzel (R) 3B<br />
L García Jr. (L) 2B<br />
J Meneses (R) DH<br />
J Winker (L) LF<br />
K Ruiz (S) C<br />
E Rosario (L) RF<br />
A Call (R) CF<br />
T Lipscomb (R) 1B</p></blockquote>
<hr />
<h2 style="text-align: left;">Need to bide the time until first pitch?</h2>
<p>Tune into the latest edition of Blue Jays Nation Radio as the crew talks about all the happenings in Toronto and beyond.</p>
<p><iframe title="Spotify Embed: Blue Jays Nation Radio" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/00f5Twxj4i9KG1WXzdOiG1?go=1&#038;amp%3Bsp_cid=b3195c716641dffe5ac518f4b2755cdc&#038;amp%3Butm_source=embed_player_p&#038;amp%3Butm_medium=desktop&#038;amp%3Bnd=1&#038;utm_source=oembed"></iframe></p>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.</span></i></p>
<hr />

The Toronto Blue Jays will have a new-look lineup Saturday afternoon against the Washington Nationals.



After weeks of saying he <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/2024/05/04/blue-jays-manager-john-schneider-changes-tune-on-urgency-not-waiting-around-for-it-to-happen-is-very-very-important/">wouldn't make changes to the top of the order</a>, skipper John Schneider has done just that, dropping Bo Bichette down to fifth in the order, while elevating Daulton Varsho up the lineup to the two spot.

It comes amid a career-worst run for Bichette, <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/gdb-33-0-blue-jays-open-three-game-series-against-nationals">whose struggles at the plate</a> have reached a tipping point.

The change is minor in comparison to what could've been done, as George Springer remains in the leadoff spot despite looking nothing like a leadoff hitter, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is slowly starting to rebound, hits third.

Varsho's elevation, meanwhile, is well-deserved and potentially even overdue. He's been excellent at the plate slashing .227/.318/.485 for a .803 OPS. He's hit a team-leading six home runs this year, with reverse splits where he's actually hitting lefties (.941 OPS) better than righties (.766 OPS).

The Jays as a whole, meanwhile, will look to put something — <em>anything</em> — together that resembles a full game against the Nationals. Despite getting an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/2024/05/03/instant-reaction-blue-jays-allowed-eight-runs-in-the-final-two-innings-and-fell-9-3-to-the-nationals/">during Friday's game</a>, the Jays squandered the lead as the bullpen imploded, allowing eight combined runs across the seventh and eighth innings.

While much can be said about Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza and Genesis Cabrera coughing up the lead, the truth of the matter is the Jays weren't able to add any runs of their own after their successful second inning. That's a major problem, given the Nationals had the ever-struggling Patrick Corbin on the mound.

Hopefully, they will fare better against Jake Irvin on Saturday afternoon.

<hr />

<strong>First pitch:</strong>

4:05 p.m. EST. TV &amp; Radio: Sportsnet.

<strong>Weather:</strong>

14º C, 14 km/h winds from right field in.

"Looks much better now than earlier... still some light showers, but off and on light showers shouldn't stop the game."- Kevin Roth, <a href="https://rotogrinders.com/weather/mlb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rotogrinders</a>
<h2><strong>Starting pitchers:</strong></h2>
<table style="width: 575px;">
<thead>
<tr>
<th class="align-left fixed " style="width: 116px;" data-col="0" data-col-id="Name" data-stat="Name">Name</th>
<th class="align-left highlight-sort" style="width: 50px;" data-col="1" data-col-id="Team" data-stat="Team">Team</th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 27px;" data-col="2" data-col-id="GS" data-stat="GS">GS
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 22px;" data-col="3" data-col-id="W" data-stat="W">W
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 15px;" data-col="4" data-col-id="L" data-stat="L">L
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 37px;" data-col="5" data-col-id="IP" data-stat="IP">IP
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 41px;" data-col="6" data-col-id="ERA" data-stat="ERA">ERA
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 50px;" data-col="7" data-col-id="xERA" data-stat="xERA">xERA
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 47px;" data-col="8" data-col-id="ERA-" data-stat="ERA-">ERA-
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 34px;" data-col="9" data-col-id="FIP" data-stat="FIP">FIP
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 55px;" data-col="10" data-col-id="WHIP" data-stat="WHIP">WHIP
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 35px;" data-col="11" data-col-id="K/9" data-stat="K/9">K/9
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
<th class="align-right " style="width: 46px;" data-col="12" data-col-id="BB/9" data-stat="BB/9">BB/9
<div class="th-tooltip undefined">
<div class="arrow-down"></div>
<div></div>
</div></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="is-selected__invalid">
<td class="align-left fixed" style="width: 116px;" data-col-id="Name" data-stat="Name"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/kevin-gausman/14107/stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Gausman</a></td>
<td class="align-left highlight-sort" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="Team" data-stat="Team"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=c%2C8%2C4%2C5%2C13%2C6%2C332%2C117%2C45%2C42%2C36%2C37&amp;month=0&amp;ind=0&amp;team=14&amp;rost=0&amp;age=0&amp;filter=&amp;players=14107%2C21504&amp;startdate=&amp;enddate=&amp;page=1_50&amp;v_cr=202301&amp;season1=2024&amp;season=2024&amp;sortcol=1&amp;sortdir=asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TOR</a></td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 27px;" data-col-id="GS" data-stat="GS">6</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 22px;" data-col-id="W" data-stat="W">1</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 15px;" data-col-id="L" data-stat="L">3</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 37px;" data-col-id="IP" data-stat="IP">28.0</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 41px;" data-col-id="ERA" data-stat="ERA">4.50</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="xERA" data-stat="xERA">5.78</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 47px;" data-col-id="ERA-" data-stat="ERA-">120</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 34px;" data-col-id="FIP" data-stat="FIP">4.10</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 55px;" data-col-id="WHIP" data-stat="WHIP">1.36</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 35px;" data-col-id="K/9" data-stat="K/9">7.39</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 46px;" data-col-id="BB/9" data-stat="BB/9">1.93</td>
</tr>
<tr class="is-selected__invalid">
<td class="align-left fixed" style="width: 116px;" data-col-id="Name" data-stat="Name"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jake-irvin/21504/stats" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Irvin</a></td>
<td class="align-left highlight-sort" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="Team" data-stat="Team"><a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;lg=all&amp;qual=0&amp;type=c%2C8%2C4%2C5%2C13%2C6%2C332%2C117%2C45%2C42%2C36%2C37&amp;month=0&amp;ind=0&amp;team=24&amp;rost=0&amp;age=0&amp;filter=&amp;players=14107%2C21504&amp;startdate=&amp;enddate=&amp;page=1_50&amp;v_cr=202301&amp;season1=2024&amp;season=2024&amp;sortcol=1&amp;sortdir=asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WSN</a></td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 27px;" data-col-id="GS" data-stat="GS">6</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 22px;" data-col-id="W" data-stat="W">2</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 15px;" data-col-id="L" data-stat="L">2</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 37px;" data-col-id="IP" data-stat="IP">33.2</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 41px;" data-col-id="ERA" data-stat="ERA">4.28</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 50px;" data-col-id="xERA" data-stat="xERA">4.69</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 47px;" data-col-id="ERA-" data-stat="ERA-">105</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 34px;" data-col-id="FIP" data-stat="FIP">3.37</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 55px;" data-col-id="WHIP" data-stat="WHIP">1.19</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 35px;" data-col-id="K/9" data-stat="K/9">6.95</td>
<td class="align-right" style="width: 46px;" data-col-id="BB/9" data-stat="BB/9">1.87</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Teams:</h2>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-72576" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/05/2024-05-04.png" alt="" width="1367" height="717" />

<em>- Data via Baseball-Reference</em>
<h2>Lineups:</h2>

<hr />

<strong>BLUE JAYS:</strong>
<div class="starting-lineups__teams starting-lineups__teams--xs starting-lineups__teams--md starting-lineups__teams--lg">
<blockquote>G Springer (R) RF
D Varsho (L) LF
V Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
J Turner (R) 3B
B Bichette (R) SS
D Vogelbach (L) DH
D Jansen (R) C
C Biggio (L) 2B
K Kiermaier (L) CF</blockquote>

<hr />

</div>
<div class="starting-lineups__buttons starting-lineups__buttons--bottom">
<div class="p-button-group" role="group">
<div class="p-button p-button--regular starting-lineups__button"><strong>NATIONALS:</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
<blockquote>C Abrams (L) SS
N Senzel (R) 3B
L García Jr. (L) 2B
J Meneses (R) DH
J Winker (L) LF
K Ruiz (S) C
E Rosario (L) RF
A Call (R) CF
T Lipscomb (R) 1B</blockquote>

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<h2 style="text-align: left;">Need to bide the time until first pitch?</h2>
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<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at</span></i> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.</span></i>

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GDB 34.0: Slumping Bo Bichette dropped down Blue Jays batting order

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) gets Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ernie Clement (22) out trying to steal second base during the fifth inning at Rogers Centre.

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