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Blue Jays Gameday (April 17): Toronto takes on Arizona
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Photo credit: © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Graeme Wallace
Apr 17, 2026, 19:24 EDTUpdated: Apr 17, 2026, 19:28 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are hoping a trip to the desert will refresh a dry offence this weekend. 
The team is hoping to get back to its winning ways after dropping its fifth successive series, losing two of three games to the Brewers in Milwaukee. After a dramatic, extra-innings 9-7 win in the series opener, the Jays’ attack fell flat in consecutive 2-1 defeats to fall to 4-11 over their last 15 games   
Despite the meagre offensive production, the Blue Jays held leads into the fourth inning or later in those final two games. Following Dylan Cease’s six standout innings on Wednesday night, Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty got them through the seventh with the 1-0 lead intact. Tyler Rogers got the ball next but couldn’t field a weakly hit ground ball hit by David Hamilton for a leadoff single. Brandon Venezuela’s decision to let a bouncer drop rather than field it (which he also bobbled) was called an error and led to William Contreras’ game-tying RBI single. Brice Turang came up next and hit an RBI groundout that gave the Brewers the go-ahead run.
On Thursday, Toronto took the lead on a textbook sacrifice bunt by Tyler Heineman. Milwaukee tied it on a Luis Rengifo sacrifice fly in the fourth inning before unleashing a series of small-ball jabs that gave them the lead for good in the seventh. Walk, sac bunt, bunt single, and sac bunt represented the death by a thousand cuts that gave the Brew Crew the slimmest of leads that felt insurmountable, and ultimately was.
One good thing that emerged from Thursday’s game was the performance of starting pitcher Patrick Corbin, who scattered four hits over 5.2 innings, with six strikeouts and just one walk. His second start was much better than his first, and it is an encouraging sign, given that the staff hasn’t gotten any quality length from their starters besides Cease and Kevin Gausman.
Eric Lauer was supposed to get the start after dealing with flu-like symptoms that affected his last two starts. Instead, Braydon Fisher will be the opener in a bullpen game. With Trey Yesavage and José Berríos working their way back from injury, and Shane Bieber transferred to the 60-day IL, the Blue Jays need Lauer to find the form that made him such a valuable addition to the rotation last season. He could be used in a bulk role following Fisher’s outing.
On the other mound will be Canadian righthander Mike Soroka, who’s been a valuable, low-cost addition to the D-Backs rotation after signing a one-year, $7.5 million free agent contract in December. He’s striking out 34.3% of the batters he’s faced, but is also giving up an expected wOBA contact (xwOBAcon) of .530, which is a stat measuring the expected outcome of a ball in play based solely on exit velocity and launch angle, suggesting he could experience some good fortune early this season. 
Davis Schneider will bat leadoff for the second straight game. He’ll be followed by Daulton Varsho and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Jesús Sánchez will hit cleanup, then it’s newcomer Lenyn Sosa, who’ll bat fifth and play DH. Andrés Giménez, the team’s ealy leader in homer runs, bats sixth, while the lineup is rounded out by Kazuma Okamoto, Ernie Clement, and Tyler Heineman.
 Let’s set up Friday night’s matchup with the Blue Jays desperate for a win.
Location: Chase Field, Arizona
First Pitch: 9:40 p.m. ET
Watch/Listen: Sportsnet, SN590

Starting Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays – Braydon Fisher: 0-0, 0.93 ERA, 9.2 IP, 12 SO, 1 BB
OPPOSING TEAM – Michael Soroka: 3-0, 2.87 ERA, 15.2 IP, 23 SO, 6 BB

Lineups:

Blue Jays:
  1.  Davis Schneider – LF
  2.  Daulton Varsho – CF
  3.  Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B 
  4.  Jesús Sánchez – RF
  5.  Lenyn Sosa – DH
  6.  Andrés Giménez – SS
  7.  Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
  8.  Ernie Clement – 2B
  9.  Tyler Heineman – C
D’Backs:
  1.  Ketel Marte – DH
  2.  Corbin Carroll – RF
  3.  Geraldo Perdomo – SS
  4.  Jose Fernandez – 1B
  5.  Nolan Arenado – 3B
  6.  Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
  7.  James McCann – C
  8.  Tim Tawa – LF
  9.  Jorge Berrosa – CF

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