Blue Jays Reveal Starting Lineup to Take on Walker Buehler, Padres

The Toronto Blue Jays are marching to the first half finish line with their recent winning ways, entering Saturday night against the San Diego Padres with a 45-49 record. Coming off a series win over the San Francisco Giants, with a win Saturday, Toronto could take two series in a row.

The Blue Jays send right-hander Trey Yesavage to the mound, who has been phenomenal for Toronto on the road. Carrying a 2.36 road ERA, Yesavage also has an extra chip on his shoulder following his loss last time out against the Seattle Mariners in that ALCS rematch just over a week ago.

Entering play, the Blue Jays have a 31.1% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs, with the most realistic path being through the American League Wild Card, which they hold a 30.1% chance of doing. Their odds for the AL East division crown sit at 1.1%, fourth in the division.

Crazier things have happened, and if Toronto can string more wins together following the All-Star break, things could look very interesting in the playoff scene for the American League. But before we get ahead of ourselves, the Blue Jays are tasked with bringing down Walker Buehler and San Diego.

Starting Lineup Reveal vs SDP

Here's how Blue Jays manager John Schneider will assemble the starting lineup for Toronto, looking to take the first two games of the series in San Diego.

1. 2B Ernie Clement
2. RF Nathan Lukes
3. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. DH George Springer
5. 3B Kazuma Okamoto
6. CF Dalton Varsho
7. C Alejandro Kirk
8. SS Andres Gimenez
9. LF Jonathan Clase

Buehler hasn't pitched very well for the Padres in 2026, entering the second game of the series with a 5.07 ERA and a 4.06 ERA when pitching at Petco Park. He has allowed five home runs in two starts in July so far, which works perfectly with the power mix in the middle of the lineup.

Kazuma Okamoto has hit the most home runs for the Blue Jays this season, making a statement to fans of the franchise as one of the better hitters at the plate. On the road this season, Okamoto has hit 12 home runs, two more than he has when playing at Rogers Centre. This benefits Saturday night.

One bat that Toronto needs to heat up for the final games of the series and more primarily when they return to action after the break, is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero is hitting a tad over .200 in July and was sent one long ball out. He carries a three-game hitting streak to Saturday's battle.

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