John Schneider Names Starting Pitcher for Blue Jays’ Opener Vs Royals
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The Toronto Blue Jays are striving to secure a spot in the postseason, and they are making significant progress. With the series against the Cleveland Guardians favoring the Blue Jays before the final game on Thursday afternoon, they have another matchup that also looks promising for their playoff odds.
To begin the weekend, the Blue Jays will travel to Kansas City to take on the Kansas City Royals, a team that will finish in the bottom two of their division. However, the Royals just took a three-game series against Toronto, and the Blue Jays need to begin the series strong.
Who's Getting Game 1?
The Blue Jays' starting pitching has been very effective as of late, keeping the team in games and leading them to a sweep of the Seattle Mariners before they began the series against Cleveland. But with the roster expansion, which starting pitcher is likely to begin the Royals series?
According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet on X (formerly Twitter), the Blue Jays are tentatively expecting Jameson Taillon to start vs. KC on Friday, per Toronto manager John Schneider.
Taillon has been rehabbing after being placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 11 with right forearm tendinitis, and recently completed a bullpen session, giving the coaching staff enough to feel confident in letting him get back on major league mound.
Taillon has only pitched in two games for Toronto since being traded to the franchise after being designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs this summer. In those two starts, Taillon pitched to a 3.38 ERA in eight innings, striking out seven and walking five.
In 2026 as a whole, Taillon holds a 5.68 ERA, a 2-6 record, a 1.37 WHIP and has struck out 75.
While he didn't light the mound on fire, he performed well enough in those eight innings to keep the Blue Jays in the game. At this stage of the season, that's all a manager could ask from his starting pitcher, especially with how hot the offense has been this past week.
Taillon is a seasoned veteran, and his return is a significant positive for the Blue Jays. Throughout his career, he has excelled during September and October, boasting a career ERA of 2.53 over 224 innings. According to Baseball Savant, these months are when Taillon performs at his best, as he has recorded his lowest ERA during this period.
He might not go deep in the game, but he's an asset for a late-season push.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.