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August 3 Gameday: Shane Bieber looks to rebound in series opener against Houston

Photo credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Aug 3, 2026, 18:52 EDTUpdated: Aug 3, 2026, 19:44 EDT

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The Toronto Blue Jays and the rest of Major League Baseball have officially put the 2026 trade deadline in the rear-view mirror.

The Blue Jays made significant changes to their roster as they dealt away pending free agents in Kevin Gausman and Daulton Varsho, as well as reliever Jeff Hoffman, but picked up controllable assets in José Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti, and Josh Smith to set themselves up for greater success in 2027 and beyond.

Now with 50 games remaining and the Blue Jays holding a 52-60 record, the club faces an uphill battle to make it to the post-season for the second straight year. While they only sit 4.5 games out of the final spot, six teams remain in their way, making the odds of a run low, which in turn, pushed them in the direction of a decision to sell.

Starting for the Blue Jays on Monday is Shane Bieber. Bieber, who was the subject of trade rumpus due to his pending free-agent status, remains with the Blue Jays to close out the remainder of the 2026 season.

Through seven starts this season, Bieber is 2-2 with a 5.74 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. The 31-year-old has struck out 22 batters over his 31.1 innings pitched and has allowed an opponents’ average of .270.

Bieber is coming off his most recent outing against the Washington Nationals, in which he failed to make it out of the first inning after turning in a pitching line of 0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 0 K during an 8-6 Nationals win. The right-hander will look to rebound to the form he showed during his two starts prior to his blow-up in Washington, when Bieber allowed only one earned run across 13 innings.

Countering Bieber for the Astros will be right-hander Cristian Javier. Through eight games (four starts) this season, Javier is 1-1 with a 7.17 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. Across 21 innings, Javier has struck out 21 but has allowed 15 free passes and been hit at a .286 clip.

After missing much of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Javier made three appearances in 2026 before being placed on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. Since being activated on July 3, the 29-year-old has gone 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP over 12 innings, more in line with his career ERA of 3.80.

During his career, Javier has had his way with fellow Dominican Republic native Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Javier has held Guerrero to a .111 average across nine at-bats, but the Blue Jays slugger comes in swinging the bat fairly well as of late, having batted .296 over his last seven games.

After being traded during batting practice, Varsho will switch dugouts and join the Astros. Varsho is set to bat fourth in the lineup during his Astros debut on Monday. Through 99 games with the Blue Jays this season, Varsho batted .243 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs.

Here’s how the lineups look for the series opener at Daikin Park:

Location: Daikin Park – Houston, Texas

First Pitch: 8:10 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet, SN590