George Springer is back atop John Schneider's lineup card as Toronto tries to stop a 4-game slide in Atlanta.
The Blue Jays will roll with Springer at DH, Ernie Clement at shortstop in the 2 spot, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first and Kazuma Okamoto at third in cleanup.
Charles McAdoo hits 5th at second base, Nathan Lukes is in left, Myles Straw is in center, Tyler Heineman catches and Yohendrick Piñango starts in right.
That shape is no accident. Schneider is staring at Chris Sale, who brings an 8-3 record and a 2.01 ERA into the finale at Truist Park.
Springer is the obvious tone-setter here. He has the most history against Sale among Toronto hitters, with 1 homer and a .250 average.
Clement batting second tells you what Schneider wants behind him: contact and quick pressure. Clement is hitting .303 with a .775 OPS, which plays anywhere near the top of a lineup.
The middle still runs through Guerrero and Okamoto. Guerrero is batting .297, while Okamoto has 13 home runs and remains Toronto's clearest power threat in this group.
John Schneider leans into a different look
McAdoo's spot might be the boldest part of the card. He owns a .875 OPS through 8 big-league at-bats, and Schneider is already handing him a run-producing lane.
Lukes and Piñango give Toronto some life from the left side, too. Lukes is batting .317, and Piñango carries a .786 OPS into tonight.
The bottom is thinner, which is why Straw and Heineman matter in a different way. Straw owns a .647 OPS, while Heineman sits at .380 and needs to keep innings moving.
That puts more heat on the top half. Toronto enters tonight at 29-33 and has lost 4 straight, so this lineup needs to do more than just look different.
The larger problem has not gone away. The Blue Jays rank 26th in MLB with a .690 team OPS, which is why every lineup tweak now carries some weight.
Against a Braves club that is 42-20, Schneider is betting that Springer can ignite traffic early and that the middle of the order can finally cash it in. That is the ask for this lineup tonight.
Should George Springer stay at the top of Toronto's lineup?
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