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Blue Jays Series Preview: Toronto return home to host Guardians after going 4-5 on road trip
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Photo credit: © William Liang-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 24, 2026, 16:30 EDTUpdated: Apr 24, 2026, 16:26 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays snapped their series losing streak in their most recent series.
Heading out west to take on the Los Angeles Angels, the Blue Jays lost six consecutive series dating back to the start of the Colorado Rockies series in March. For the past four games, they’ve started to look like their 2025 selves.
Three of those games turned out to be victories, scoring eight runs in the first inning in the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They defeated the Angels thanks to small ball in the series opener, then overcame a late Angels’ lead to win the series. That victory also matched a season-high winning streak.
Wednesday’s getaway game didn’t go as well. They found success against José Soriano, registering seven hits against MLB’s best pitcher in the early goings of this season. Coming into the game, he had given up just one earned run and 11 hits, and while the Jays didn’t score, they found moderate success compared to his other starts.
They even overcame a 3-0 deficit, tying the game in the top of the seventh before allowing four earned runs in the bottom half of the inning in a 7-3 loss. Had they won that game, it would’ve been a winning road trip, but 4-5 isn’t too shabby either given their injuries.
Now they return home to host the Cleveland Guardians for a three-game weekend series.

Examining the Guardians

The American League Central is up for grabs. Right now, the Guardians sit 14-12, tied with the Detroit Tigers for the lead in the division. That said, the Twins are right behind the teams, while the Chicago White Sox already have double-digit wins.
Coming into the season, most though that the Tigers will win the division, but the Guardians are consistently in the hunt for the postseason each year. So far this season, they have been better at home, posting an 8-5 record compared to a 6-7 record on the road. Additionally, they are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and lost their most recent game.
A month into the season, the Guardians’ bats are performing at a similar level as the Blue Jays’ bats. Through 26 games, the team is slashing .228/.318/.374 with 26 home runs, a 10.8 BB%, and a 21.1 K% for a 98. The Jays are slashing .256/.317/.379 with 19 home runs in 24 games, with a 7.7 BB% and 18.1 K%.
Starting pitching has been the Guardians’ strong suit so far this season. Their 3.45 ERA ranks eighth-best in MLB while posting a 4.14 FIP. That said, Guardians’ starters have given up 18 home runs, tied for the fifth-most in MLB. Like the Jays, relief pitching hasn’t been great, as their bullpen has a 4.87 ERA (seventh-worst) and a 4.32 ERA (10th-worst). Their bullpen has given up 14 home runs, tied for the sixth-most with the Jays and a few other teams.

One player to watch: José Ramírez

There’s an argument that José Ramírez is the most underrated player in baseball. Through 26 games this season, the third baseman is slashing .234/.363/.479 with six home runs, a higher BB% (16.8%) than K% (14.2%) and a 135 wRC+. He got off to a slow start as well, as he’s slashing .341/.491/.756 with five of those home runs in his last 12 games. That’s good enough for a 236 wRC+.
Funnily enough, the Blue Jays have found success against the switch-hitter since he broke into the league in 2013. In 259 plate appearances against the Blue Jays, he’s slashing .272/.329/.431 with nine home runs for an OPS+ of 79. Only six other teams have held him to a lower OPS+, and two of them have more than 100 plate appearances. Last season, Ramírez had 19 plate appearances against the Jays, notching five singles.

Quick Hits

  • Another player in the Guardians’ lineup to watch out for is Daniel Schneemann. In 20 games this season, the utility player is slashing .310/.394/.517 with two home runs in 66 plate appearances. Of his 19 career home runs, five of which have come against the Blue Jays, the most he’s hit against any team.
  • Rookie Chase DeLauter is off to a great start in his career, slashing .235/.330/.506 with five home runs in 94 plate appearances. He’s also walked more than he has struck out. Brayan Rocchio, Ángel Martínez, and Rhys Hoskins all have a wRC+ above 100 as well.
  • Starting pitching has been a mixed bag for the Blue Jays this season, but they’ll have Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, and Dylan Cease making the starts in this series. Scherzer goes on Friday, and he pitched six strong innings in his most recent start in Phoenix.
  • As for the Guardians, the Blue Jays will miss Parker Messick, who has a 1.76 ERA through 30.2 innings pitched this season. The Jays will also avoid the Guardians’ Opening Day starter, Tanner Bibee, who has a 4.46 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched this season.
  • Gavin Williams starts for the Guardians on Friday evening. This season, he has a 2.12 ERA and 3.92 FIP in 29.2 innings pitched. While he leads the rotation with 40 strikeouts, he’s also walked a team-high 17 batters. Patience is key.
  • If Williams’ name sounds familiar, he threw seven one-hit innings against the Blue Jays back in 2023. However, the Jays got to him last season, scoring five earned runs in nine and one-third innings.
  • The other two starts the Jays will see are Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi. Cantillo has a 3.20 ERA and 3.86 FIP in 25.1 innings pitched, with the second-highest walk rate and strikeout rate. Cecconi is the weak link of the Guardians’ rotation, authoring a 6.20 ERA and 5.99 FIP in 24.2 innings pitched. He’s rocking a 17.4 K% and 10.4 BB%.

Probable pitchers

Friday: Max Scherzer/Gavin Williams
Saturday: Kevin Gausman/Joey Cantillo
Sunday: Dylan Cease/Slade Cecconi

Game times

Friday: 7:07 PM ET
Saturday: 3:07 PM ET
Sunday: 1:37 PM ET
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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