Blue Jays Probable Pitching Matchups Put Best Up Against Astros Explosive Offense
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The Toronto Blue Jays are headed back to Rogers Centre a little bit early after the final game of the series against the Chicago Cubs was rained out, which impacts their next matchup in the best of ways.
The Blue Jays are set to take on the Houston Astros starting Monday evening, so the Jays as a whole received a much-needed day off, as Ernie Clement, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and surely Daulton Varsho are all feeling pretty sore.
Clement missed a pair of games with hip soreness, Varsho just came back from IL and was spotted with a soft brace on his wrist, and then there is Vladdy, who was forced out of the game Friday with his back flaring up again.
On top of all that, there is the bullpen that has been overused all season, who will take any time off that they can get, even if it's due to a rainout. So both of those two aspects are very important, then you add on the fact that strikeout machine Dylan Cease will now be pushed back a day.
Originally, he was supposed to take the hill at Wrigley Field, and he will instead be at Rogers Centre to take on the powerful offense that the Astros boast to set the tone for this homestand.
New Probable Pitching Matchups vs. Astros
Toronto's starting rotation cannot get lit up early, as Houston has destroyed starters in the first few innings of a game, and it is always in explosive fashion, which is why they are one of four teams in the AL to have 100+ homers, and are third in slugging percentage (.414).
Mon, Jun 22 • 7:07 PM EDT: Dylan Cease vs. Hunter Brown
Tue, Jun 23 • 4:07 PM EDT: Shane Bieber vs. Peter Lambert
Wed, Jun 24 • 7:07 PM EDT: Trey Yesavage vs. Mike Burrows
With an overworked bullpen, the Jays must get some length out of their starters.
Originally, Monday evening was supposed to be the return of Cy Young Award winner, Shane Bieber. But don't worry, he will be back on Tuesday for the first start of the season during an early game.
The opener is going to be quite the pitching duel as Brown was in contention for a Cy Young just last season, but an injury-riddled season has derailed his chances for 2026. Make no mistake, however, he is firing on all cylinders, even though he just returned from IL.
Toronto is returning home with a 4-1 record on their shortened road trip, and one game under .500. By the time this series comes to a close, with the pitchers that they are trotting out there, they need to have a winning record.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.