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June 19 Gameday: Blue Jays head to Chicago riding three-game winning streak

Photo credit: © Eric Canha-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Jun 19, 2026, 12:15 EDTUpdated: Jun 19, 2026, 14:00 EDT

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The Toronto Blue Jays might just be finding their stride at the right time.

After sweeping the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays now sit at 37-38 and hold the American League’s final Wild Card spot as the regular season’s halfway point quickly approaches.

As the Blue Jays look for their fourth straight win, they will turn to Kevin Gausman in Chicago against the Cubs. Gausman has put together a strong 2026 season to this point, as the right-hander is 4-4 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across his 15 starts.

Gausman dazzled in his most recent outing on June 13 against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. The 35-year-old turned in a pitching line of 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, with the only damage coming on a Jasson Domínguez solo home run. Gausman continues to attack hitters with his iconic fastball-splitter combination, which has helped him record 86 strikeouts over his 87 innings.

One player who is heating up for the Cubs is Pete Crow-Armstrong. For the season, Crow-Armstrong is batting .276 with 15 home runs and 37 RBIs, but has really started to get going over his past 15 games as the 24-year-old has gone 26-for-64 with eight home runs and 11 RBIs.

Gausman will have his hands full if Crow-Armstrong reaches base, as the center fielder has 16 stolen bases in 21 attempts and is coming off a 2025 season where he stole 35 bags. On June 15 during the Cubs’ 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies, Crow-Armstrong hit for the cycle, so he is a threat all over the field.

The Cubs will counter Gausman with right-hander Ben Brown. After opening the year as a reliever, Brown’s last seven outings have all been starts, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular. Through 19 games (seven starts), Brown is 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 62 innings. Brown has only allowed one earned run over his first two starts in June, so the 26-year-old is riding high heading into Friday’s contest.

The Blue Jays are hoping that Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s home run on Thursday is the start of the surge the club has been waiting for throughout much of the season from their All-Star first baseman. Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-8 over the final two games at Fenway Park, which helped raise his season average to .279 with four home runs and 30 RBIs.

Here’s how the lineups look for Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field:

Location: Wrigley Field – Chicago, Illinois

First Pitch: 2:20 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet, SN590