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June 13 Gameday: Blue Jays looking to win weekend series against Yankees

Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Jun 13, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 13, 2026, 13:45 EDT

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The Toronto Blue Jays can win the series against their American League East division rival, the New York Yankees, on Saturday afternoon.

After claiming the first game of the series 8-5 on Friday night, backed by an offensive outburst by Alejandro Kirk in his first game since returning from the 60-day injured list, the Blue Jays will turn to Kevin Gausman to try to make it two wins in a row.

Gausman has put together a consistent season to this point atop the Blue Jays’ rotation. Through 14 starts, Gausman is 4-4 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 80 innings pitched. With a beat-up rotation through much of the club’s first 70 games, Gausman has continuously given the Blue Jays length, tossing at least five innings in 13 of his 14 outings.

The 35-year-old continues to give opposing teams trouble with his heavy fastball-splitter, highlighted by his 79 strikeouts across his 80 frames to begin the year. One of the Yankees batters who Gausman has consistently given problems to throughout his career is Cody Bellinger.

For his career off Gausman, Bellinger is 2-for-22 with only one RBI. Keeping Bellinger in check on Saturday could be key as the 30-year-old is batting .270 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs through 67 games this season. Bellinger gave the Yankees life during Friday’s contest when he smacked a two-run home run off Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage to make it a 5-3 game.

Opposing Gausman for the Yankees is right-hander Cam Schlittler. Schlittler has become a force across MLB through his first 14 starts of 2026, and has turned in a record of 7-3, an ERA of 1.87 and a WHIP of 0.87. The 25-year-old has struck out 89 batters across his 82 innings and is making an early case for the Cy Young Award in the American League.

Schlittler and the Blue Jays matched up earlier this season on May 20, and was charged with the loss after finishing with a line of 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 B, 7 K. The eight hits were the most Schlittler has allowed in a start this season, and he is holding opposing batters to a .191 average.

The Blue Jays are one of the only teams to figure out the Yankees’ ace. In his three regular season starts against the Blue Jays (tied for the most against any team he’s faced), Schlitter has given up eight earned runs over 12.2 innings of work.

One Blue Jays player who has found success in limited at-bats off Schlittler is Jesús Sánchez. Sánchez is 3-for-5 against Schlittler and turned in two singles off him during the 2-1 victory on May 20. Sánchez has been a bright spot in the Blue Jays’ lineup this season after being acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for Joey Loperfido on February 13.

Through 64 games, Sánchez is batting .296 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs while reaching base at a .328 clip. Known more for his power ability heading into this season, Sánchez has an expected batting average of .294, placing him in the top seven percent of MLB, backing up his numbers through his 189 at-bats.

Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be out of the lineup due to back tightness he sustained in Friday’s game. Charles McAdoo will fill in at first base on Saturday.

Here’s how the lineup looks for the middle game of the three-game set at Rogers Centre:

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Canada

First Pitch: 3:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / SN590 the Fan