How the Blue Jays' Lineup Looks Behind Kevin Gausman vs. Texas

Here's how the Toronto Blue Jays look in the series opener against the Texas Rangers.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Luis Urias (48) fields a ground ball. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays opened their home stand in an unwanted way, dropping two of three against the Houston Astros. After winning the series opener, the Blue Jays fell in back-to-back games, heading into a big series against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre.

Entering Thursday night, the Blue Jays sit in third place in the AL East division, 9.5 games back of the New York Yankees. Having had a chance to get to and above .500, Toronto holds a 39-41 record, looking to sweep Texas out of Canada and reach a .500 record since May 29.

Manager John Schneider has his work cut out for him, but he will send out a strong offense behind ace Kevin Gausman, who's coming off the worst outing of his 2026 campaign against the Chicago Cubs in which he pitched two innings and allowed seven earned runs.

Toronto's Starting Lineup

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) reacts while on base after walk. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Below is how the Blue Jays will roll out against Mackenzie Gore and the Rangers.

1. DH George Springer
2. 2B Ernie Clement
3. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. 3B Kazuma Okamoto

5. C Alejandro Kirk
6. RF Nathan Lukes
7. LF Davis Schneider
8. CF Myles Straw
9. 2B Luis Urias

Clement is back in the Toronto lineup after having one at-bat in the series finale against the Astros. The Blue Jays can't handle anymore injuries, so Clement staying healthy this time around is a must. He holds a .292 AVG with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.

Lukes smacked a home run on Wednesday, which resulted in the Blue Jays' only run of the game. Lukes now has three home runs and a batting average above .300 (.301). Being one of the backend lineup hitters, momentum is carried through his at-bats.

One player who needs to improve if the Blue Jays want to get back to .500 is first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero has had such an interesting season, with little to no power coming from the Toronto perennial MVP candidate.

Over his last seven games, Guerrero holds a .214 AVG with one home run and eight RBIs, accompanied by two strikeouts. That's one part of Guerrero's game that hasn't changed; he rarely strikes out, only punching out 33 times in 2026.

So long as Guasman returns to his typical 2026 form, and the offense comes ready to play, the Blue Jays would be in a strong position to end the losing streak at two games and earn their 40th win of the campaign.