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Blue Jays Series Preview: Toronto seeks answers in Milwaukee to begin road trip
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Tristan Morgan
Apr 14, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 13, 2026, 21:16 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays enter their next series in Milwaukee still trying to steady themselves early in the 2026 season, and there’s really no way around where things stand.
At 6–9, Toronto continues to search for consistency after a fourth-straight series loss, and they head to Wisconsin for a three-game set against the Brewers. While there have been flashes, including salvaging a comeback win in their series against the Twins, recent woes have been enough for some to hit the panic button. 
Now the Blue Jays face MLB’s best from the 2025 regular season, where the Brewers won 97 games.  
However, this trip to Milwaukee may also represent yet another opportunity for the Blue Jays, because while the Brewers remain a very competitive team, this version of Milwaukee may be closer to its most vulnerable state instead of its strongest. Though it also doesn’t help that the Blue Jays simply haven’t been able to stay healthy.
What began as a manageable situation in Spring Training has escalated into a very significant issue. José Berríos, Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber have been sidelined from the get-go, and since Opening Day, Toronto has added George Springer (fractured toe), Alejandro Kirk (thumb fracture), Cody Ponce (ACL sprain) and Addison Barger (ankle sprain) to that list.
The loss of Springer is particularly impactful in that regard, as the team is now without its primary leadoff hitter, which weakens the lineup significantly.
In response, manager John Schneider has pivoted to Ernie Clement, who has seemed to become the team’s leadoff hitter overnight in yesterday’s affair versus the Twins. Clement did his thing, collecting three hits and coming into score as the Blue Jays’ lone two runs in an 8-2 loss. However, losing a bat like Springer is a gut punch to this offence, and it’s going to be difficult to replicate his potential production for the next 2-4 weeks.
One potential source to replace his production is Eloy Jiménez, who earned a call-up after posting an .857 OPS in Spring Training. While expectations should likely be measured, Jiménez has immense power potential and could factor into run-producing situations as Toronto looks for more consistent extra-base impact and to catch a spark from the former Silver Slugger after recording his first hit as a member of the Blue Jays yesterday.
On the pitching side, the top continues its dominant run.
Kevin Gausman opens the series and so far has performed at an elite level in 2026, posting a 2.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts and just two walks over 17 1/3 innings. Dylan Cease has also generated strong strikeout numbers, though he has yet to pitch beyond 5 1/3 innings in any start this season.
Beyond those two, however, the rotation has been inconsistent, and that lack of length has compounded. The bullpen has already been tasked with covering a heavy workload early in the season, leading to performance variability and putting additional pressure on the roster, with Patrick Corbin or Eric Lauer now Toronto’s third-best available starter.
These issues are likely to build on each other; shorter starts lead to more bullpen usage, which leads to fatigue and inconsistency, and that cycle has been evident during Toronto’s 6–9 start and even at times in 2025.

Examining the Brewers

Milwaukee enters this series in a different, but still very complicated position.
After a strong start to the season, the Brewers have dropped five consecutive games, including a sweep at the hands of the Washington Nationals for the first time since 2011. That skid has exposed some of the volatility within their roster, particularly as injuries begin to surface.
The most notable concern is Christian Yelich, who exited Sunday’s game with hamstring tightness. Before the injury, Yelich had been one of Milwaukee’s most productive hitters, slashing .327/.389/.469 with a 138 wRC+. Other sidelined players for this series include Jackson Chourrio and Andrew Vaughn, who are currently managing IL stints. 
On the mound, Milwaukee is in a similarly shallow position as the Blue Jays. After trading Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets for top prospects in the offseason, the ace role is up for the taking. One of the more intriguing names in MLB who has seemingly taken that role is Jacob Misiorowski, who is set to start in tomorrow’s game.
Jacob Misiorowski has rapidly ascended as the Milwaukee Brewers’ premier flamethrower. After his 2022 second-round selection, he debuted in 2025, making history with 11 hitless innings to start his career and earning an All-Star nod after just five starts, an MLB record. Armed with a triple-digit fastball, he entered 2026 as the team’s youngest Opening Day starter since 2002. So far this season, Misiorowski is dominating with a league-high 28 strikeouts across 16.1 innings, with an astounding 41.8% strikeout rate.

One player to watch: Brice Turang

Brice Turang has evolved from a defensive specialist into a dynamic top-of-the-order force. After sweeping Gold and Platinum Glove honours in 2024, Turang silenced skeptics in 2025 with an 18-homer breakout. He enters this series in mid-season form, currently slashing .298 with five stolen bases through 13 games and coming off a two-homer game versus the Nationals. Most impressively, however, is his refined plate discipline, which has already produced 12 walks.
For a Blue Jays pitching staff currently ravaged by rotation injuries and leaning heavily on a taxed bullpen, how they contain Turang’s elite speed and newfound tools will be a key factor in this series. If Toronto allows him to disrupt their defensive rhythm on the basepaths, he is positioned to expose their thinned pitching and catching depth.
The last time these two clubs met last August, they were statistically two of the best teams in baseball, culminating in a Brewers series win at Rogers Centre. While Milwaukee eventually reached the NLCS and Toronto advanced to the World Series, the two have had a much more underwhelming start in 2026, as they face off yet again. 

Quick Hits

  • Brewers catcher William Contreras has been a nightmare for Toronto pitching. Over the last two seasons, he has maintained a .315 average against the Blue Jays, including a massive three-hit performance in their final meeting of 2025. With Contreras already posting a 1.058 OPS this month, Toronto will have to find a way to keep him from extending his current 12-game on-base streak.
  • Jesus Sanchez is becoming a high-leverage hero. Since being acquired from Houston, Sanchez has been playing above expectations. He enters this series hitting .275 with 141 OPS+ and is coming off a nice weekend where he launched a two-run, 107 mph homer against the Twins on Saturday, marking his second long ball of the young season.
  • Wednesday’s matchup marks the first “Jackie Robinson Day” matchup between these clubs, while marking the 79th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier. Every player on the field will honour him by wearing his number 42, which is retired league-wide in his name, except for one day every season.
Probable Pitchers
Game 1: Kevin Gausman vs. Jacob Misiorowski
Game 2: Dylan Cease vs. TBD
Game 3: Patrick Corbin vs. TBD
Game Times
Tuesday: 7:40 PM ET
Wednesday: 7:40 PM ET
Thursday: 1:40 PM ET

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