August 14 Gameday: Shane Bieber starts in series opener against Yankees
Photo credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Aug 14, 2026, 17:48 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to get back into the win column.
After dropping Thursday’s series finale to the Boston Red Sox 7-0, the Blue Jays sit at 59-64 and find themselves 2.0 games back of the American League’s final Wild Card spot.
Starting tonight, the Blue Jays’ next nine games will come against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, before the final 30 games come against teams that currently have a record under .500.
Starting for the Blue Jays on Friday night will be right-hander Shane Bieber. Through nine starts this season, Bieber is 3-2 with a 5.48 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. The 31-year-old has struck out 32 batters across his 42.2 innings pitched, but has allowed opponents to hit .281 off him.
In his most recent outing last Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, Bieber was hit hard. The righty turned in a pitching line of 5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, and allowed two long home runs to Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber.
Countering Bieber for the Yankees will be right-hander Gerrit Cole. After missing all of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Cole returned on May 22 and has made 14 starts since coming off the injured list.
Across 14 outings, Cole has gone 6-5 with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The 35-year-old has struck out 87 batters across his 80.2 innings of work and has held opponents to a .227 average.
While Cole has been a dominant force in the AL since being acquired by the Houston Astros before the 2018 season, one Blue Jay who has always hit him well has been Alejandro Kirk. Kirk is a career .375 hitter against Cole over 27 at-bats to go along with one home run and three RBIs.
Batting fifth in tonight’s lineup, Kirk has really heated up with the bat, having hit .309 over his past 30 games. For the season, the 27-year-old is hitting .261 with four home runs and 19 RBIs and is continuing to look more like the Kirk Blue Jays fans have become accustomed to as he gets further removed from the fractured thumb he suffered in April.
Here’s how the lineups look for the series opener at Rogers Centre:
Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario
First Pitch: 7:15 p.m. ET
Watch/Listen: Apple TV, SN590
Starting Pitchers
Toronto Blue Jays – Shane Bieber: 3-2 record, 5.48 ERA, 42.2 IP, 32 SO, 23 BB
New York Yankees – Gerrit Cole: 6-5 record, 3.35 ERA, 80.2 IP, 87 SO, 17 BB
Lineups:
Blue Jays:
- Brett Bateman – CF
- Nathan Lukes – RF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
- George Springer – DH
- Alejandro Kirk – C
- Andrés Giménez – SS
- Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
- Jesús Sánchez – LF
- Ernie Clement – 2B
Yankees:
- Trent Grisham – CF
- Ben Rice – DH
- Spencer Jones – RF
- Luis García Jr. – 1B
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 2B
- Heliot Ramos – LF
- Ryan McMahon – 3B
- Austin Wells – C
- George Lombard Jr. – SS
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