The Toronto Blue Jays are back in the Rogers Centre after a six-game NL West road trip. They demolished the Colorado Rockies through three games before narrowly avoiding the sweep against the Dodgers, taking four of six games on the road.

Toronto’s return to the Rogers Centre doesn’t get any easier following the Dodgers series, as the club is welcoming a Chicago Cubs squad that sits firmly in second place in the NL Central with a 67-50 record. It’s a strong record in a division that is currently being run away with by the Milwaukee Brewers, who own the best record in baseball (67-50). The Cubs made a few splashy moves at the deadline, acquiring Canadian Michael Soroka from the Nationals (currently on IL), reliever Andrew Kittredge from the Orioles, and left-fielder Willi Castro from the Twins. Chicago also added southpaw reliever Taylor Rogers from the Pirates to bolster the bullpen corps.

To kick off the series, Toronto will be sending right-hander Jose Berrios to the mound.

July was a tough stretch for the Puerto Rican product, who allowed 19 earned runs and seven homers through 29 1/3 innings, putting up a 5.53 FIP for the month. Toronto found ways to win five of these six games, but it was the bats that helped the starter on multiple occasions while he allowed four or more earned runs through three starts.

Berrios has started to turn things around, and although the Rockies collected seven hits off him at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, he allowed just three earned runs and one walk on the day while striking out five. Surprisingly, Berrios has had more success on the road this season (3.48 ERA – 13 starts vs. 4.34 ERA – 11 starts), so it will be interesting to see how he fairs against a Cubs lineup that boasts the likes of Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, and Carson Kelly.

The Chicago Cubs will be turning to right-hander Javier Assad, who will be making his 2025 debut after missing the start of the season with an oblique injury.

Assad made five rehab starts, one in Rookie Ball and four with the triple-A Iowa Cubs. Through 18 1/3 combined innings, the Mexican product allowed 16 hits and five earned runs with seven walks, striking out 21. He crafted a 2.45 ERA in a small sample size.

Armed with a sinker, cutter, four-seamer, curveball, sweeper, and changeup, Assad’s best pitch in 2024 was his sinker, which amassed a +5 pitching run value and held opponents to a .246 xBA. When he locates his curveball, it can be a solid out pitch (30.0% whiff rate), but opposing bats have been known to crush it a long distance when he makes mistake pitches. Same with the cutter, which produced a .538 SLG last year.

Andres Gimenez returns to the lineup, with Buddy Kennedy being DFA’d from the roster as the corresponding move. He returns to second base while Ernie Clement slots in at the hot corner. Manager John Schnieder has Addison Barger and his left-handed bat in the lineup, playing right field, while Nathan Lukes suits up in left field and will lead off.

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 7:07 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet / Sportsnet 590 The Fan

Toronto Blue Jays – Jose Berrios: 8-4 record, 3.89 ERA, 136 2/3 IP, 116 SO, 45 BB

Chicago Cubs – Javier Assad: 0-0 record, 0.00 ERA, 0.0 IP, 0 SO, 0 BB