July 17 Gameday: Blue Jays open second half with series against White Sox

Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Jul 17, 2026, 17:33 EDT

The Toronto Blue Jays are back in action.

Fresh off a four-day layoff due to Major League Baseball’s All-Star break, the Blue Jays will host the Chicago White Sox as they attempt to snap their two-game losing streak.

Sitting at 45-51, the Blue Jays sit two and a half games out of the American League’s final Wild Card spot with 96 games to play. The Blue Jays’ management will have a decision to make on what the club does depending on how they do before the August 3 trade deadline.

The Blue Jays will hand the ball to Spencer Miles as they look to get back into the win column. Through 26 games (three starts) in his rookie season, Miles is 4-1 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. The 25-year-old Rule 5 draft pick from this past winter has thrown 60 innings this season and used his power sinker to strike out 57 batters.

With a hole in the fifth spot in the rotation, Miles may receive an extended look as a starter. Miles gives the Blue Jays the best chance to win among the current alternatives, and with a 1.20 ERA over his past seven outings, the right-hander has earned this chance.

Countering Miles for the White Sox will be left-hander Anthony Kay. The former Blue Jay made his MLB debut with the club back in 2019 and spent parts of the next three seasons with the club before being designated for assignment in December 2022.

After spending both the 2024 and 2025 seasons in Japan, Kay was signed by the White Sox to a two-year deal in December and has put together his best season to this point in his career. Through 19 games (17 starts), Kay is 6-4 with a 4.23 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The 31-year-old has struck out only 71 batters over his 89.1 frames and has allowed 88 hits in that span.

If the Blue Jays are going to get hot, it has to start with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Through 91 games, Guerrero is batting .262 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. On the nine-game West Coast road trip that ran through Seattle, San Francisco, and San Diego, Guerrero hit two home runs, flashing some life that the power is starting to return to his bat.

In his career, Guerrero is 1-for-2 off Kay, with his lone hit coming by way of a two-run home run during a 6-3 loss against the White Sox back in April. During that series, the White Sox swept the Blue Jays in a three-game set that saw both Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger depart with injuries.

Here’s how the lineups look for the series opener at Rogers Centre:

Location: Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Centre

First Pitch: 7:15 PM ET

Watch/Listen: Apple TV, SN590