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Blue Jays Series Preview: Toronto continues their road trip with a stop in Arizona
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Photo credit: © Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 17, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 16, 2026, 20:55 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are struggling.
We’re already midway through April, and the Blue Jays have yet to win a series this month. In fact, the last time they won a series was in the season opener against the Athletics, winning all three games they played. Since then, they dropped two of three to the Colorado Rockies, were swept by the Chicago White Sox, then lost two of three to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Only two of their six series have been played on the road, the White Sox series and their most recent series, the Brewers. In those six games, the Blue Jays are just 1-5, beating the Brewers on Tuesday, but dropping Wednesday and Thursday’s decision by a score of 2-1 in each game.
They’ll play their third series on the road, this time heading to Phoenix to play the Arizona Diamondbacks. Yes, they’ve dealt with injuries, but at some point soon they have to stop the bleeding, as they’re already four games below .500. Last season, they never went five games below .500, as they started to turn it around on a west coast road trip. Funnily enough, that was against the Los Angeles Angels, the team they’ll play after the Diamondbacks.
That said, let’s take a look at the Diamondbacks in the series preview.

Examining the Diamondbacks

There’s a case to be made that the 2026 Blue Jays are starting to look like the 2024 Diamondbacks. Like the Blue Jays, the Diamondbacks came out of nowhere in 2023, earning a wild card spot, then eventually winning the National League Pennant. While they weren’t nearly as close to winning the World Series as the Blue Jays were last season, the Diamondbacks weren’t close to the same team as the season before.
The Diamondbacks finished with a solid record, 89-73, but missed out on the final wild card spot on the final day, as both the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks had the tiebreaker against the Diamondbacks. Of course, the Dodgers went on to win the World Series, but the San Diego Padres were no pushovers either, finishing the 2024 season with a 93-69 record.
Well, the Diamondbacks are off to a solid start in 2026. Through their first 19 games, they are 11-8, behind the Dodgers and Padres in the early goings. They’re still waiting for a few players to get going, but they look like a team who could easily make the playoffs this season.

One player to watch: Corbin Carroll

Once a top prospect, Corbin Carroll rebounded in 2025 and has looked terrific so far in 2026. Through 17 games, the centre fielder is slashing .311/.394/.607 with two home runs. His strikeout rate is higher than it’s ever been (25.4%), but his walk rate of 12.7% is also the best it’s been.
Carroll also hasn’t made the same impact he has on the bases as he had in previous season, nabbing just one base on one attempt. For context, he stole 32 bases in 38 attempts last season, and stole a career-high 54 bases on 59 attempts during the 2023 season. The Blue Jays will have to do a better job of controlling the run game.
Still, the 25-year-old outfielder is a dangerous hitter in the two-hole spot in the Diamondbacks’ batting order.

Quick Hits

  • Geraldo Perdomo broke out in 2025, slashing .290/.389/.462 with 20 home runs in 720 plate appearances. The shortstop has quickly become one of the most underrated players in baseball, but he’s slashing just .194/.307/.274 with a home run in 77 plate appearances this season.
  • Ketel Marte, who is also a switch-hitter like Perdomo, is also off the a slow start. Last season, he slashed .283/.376/.517 with 28 home runs, but is slashing just .211/.273/.408 with four home runs in 77 plate appearances for an 89 wRC+.
  • This past off-season, the Diamondbacks traded for Nolan Arenado. Once upon a time, he was the best third baseman in Major League Baseball, but he’s slashing just .206/.215/.317 with two home runs in 65 plate appearances this season, good enough for a 43 wRC+. He can still run into one, but the decline with the bat is real.
  • One standout in the early goings is Ildemaro Vargas. The 34-year-old is slashing .383/.408/.660 with two home runs in 49 plate appearances for a 194 wRC+. He’s been a utility player throughout his first nine seasons and never finished with a wRC+ above 94.
  • Eric Lauer is set to start on Friday. After a great season debut where he struck out nine, Lauer gave the Jays just 2+ innings in his second start, and five and one-third innings in his most recent start. Against the Minnesota Twins, Lauer gave up seven earned runs in the third inning as it was clear he was still dealing with illness. Hopefully, he’s feeling better.
  • Max Scherzer also hasn’t given the Blue Jays much length in his last two starts. On April 6th, he went just two innings before leaving with right forearm tendinitis. His most recent start, also against the Twins, he allowed eight earned runs in two and one-third innings. All the way back in 2008, the 41-year-old made his debut with the Diamondbacks.
  • Also making his debut with the Diamondbacks was Daulton Varsho. He played with the team from 2020 until 2022, as they traded him to the Blue Jays for Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on December 23rd, 2022. This will be Varsho’s second return to Phoenix (first was in 2024). That series, he slashed .333/.385/.833 with three triples in 13 plate appearances. He’s been heating up lately, so that’s good to see.
  • Speaking of Moreno and Gurriel Jr., neither player will be active this weekend, as both are on the injured list. Moreno has a left oblique strain, Gurriel Jr. is recovering from ACL surgery after sustaining a surgery in September last season.

Probable pitchers

Friday: Eric Lauer/Michael Soroka
Saturday: Max Scherzer/Zac Gallen
Sunday: Kevin Gausman/Ryan Nelson

Game times

Friday: 9:40 PM ET
Saturday: 8:10 PM ET
Sunday: 4:10 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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