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Blue Jays Series Preview: Toronto hopes to bring the W’s to the Windy City
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Graeme Wallace
Apr 3, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 3, 2026, 12:17 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to get back on track after losing two of three games at home to the lowly Colorado Rockies earlier this week. 
Toronto will play its first road series of the season, starting with a makeup game on Friday after Thursday’s contest was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Jays’ early-season stretch of games against inferior competition continues, with the White Sox having lost five of their first six games.
Brendon Little has had a tough start to his season. He’s surrendered seven earned runs in three appearances and was tagged with the loss in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat in extra innings. There’s been some speculation that he could be optioned to the minors, but there isn’t a suitable replacement for him at this time. 
The pitching staff is still reeling from the loss of Cody Ponce, who left Monday’s game with a sprained ACL. He’ll miss some significant time as the best case scenario. The team doesn’t need a fifth starter until late April, and it’s not clear who would get promoted from the minors. For now, Lázaro Estrada has been called up and will be expected to pitch multiple innings in relief where possible.

Examining the White Sox

The White Sox head into their home opener hoping to give their fans something to cheer about after a tough start. The Southsiders are hopeful for a step forward this season after going 60-102 in 2025. That was following a 41-121 finish in 2024 that set a record for the most losses in a 162-game season. Their win total improvement from ‘24 to ‘25 was the second-highest in the majors, behind only the Blue Jays.
Fans will see some familiar faces on this rebuilding team. On the pitching staff, Anthony Kay is scheduled to start Saturday’s game, while Seranthony Domínguez and Jordan Hicks will see action out of the bullpen. On the position player side, catcher Reese McGuire is back for a second stint with Chicago after spending part of the 2022 season on the south side.
The Blue Jays will need to be careful when pitching to Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, and Chase Meidroth, the only players on the team with an OPS over .700. 

One player to watch: Munetaka Murakami

Murakami has had an electrifying start to his big-league career. He homered in each of his first three major league games, a feat matched only three times in MLB history.
The first baseman came to the Southside amid considerable fanfare after breaking Sadaharu Oh’s NPB record with 56 home runs in 2022, and he’s hit the ground running. 
There were considerable concerns about Murakami’s high strikeout rate, and he’s struck out nine times in 25 plate appearances, but he possesses the kind of power to go deep at any time.  

Quick Hits

  • Addison Barger is looking for his first hit of the season after going hitless over his first 13 at-bats and being left out of the starting lineup the last two games. He’s looking to build on a 2025 breakout season that included 21 home runs, a .756 OPS, and the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
  • Dylan Cease will make his second start after striking out 12 batters in his Blue Jays debut on Saturday. Kevin Gausman followed his 11-K season opener with six shutout innings and 10 more strikeouts and no walks against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. The bar atop the rotation has been set remarkably high.   
  • Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez have been catalysts at the bottom of the lineup. They are tied for the team lead, with eight hits apiece. Giménez has a team-high five RBI, and Clement has three of the team’s four doubles. Their contributions have helped to offset the early struggles of George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho, and Barger.

Probable pitchers

 Friday: Dylan Cease/Grant Taylor
Saturday: Eric Lauer/Anthony Kay
Sunday: TBD vs. Martin

Game times

Friday: 2:10 PM ET
Saturday: 2:10 PM ET
Sunday: 2:10 PM ET

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