Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Max Scherzer gets John Schneider's bounce-back assignment as the Blue Jays try to answer Tuesday's 14-5 loss to Colorado.
Toronto didn't rip up the lineup card after getting pushed around Monday. Schneider is sending out George Springer at DH, Jesús Sánchez in left, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first and Nathan Lukes in right.
That top four says plenty about the plan. Springer still gets the leadoff spot, Sánchez stays in the 2-hole, and Guerrero remains the bat this order has to run through.
Okamoto in the cleanup spot stands out, too. After a rough team loss, Schneider could have shuffled things around, but this card shows he still wants Barger hitting in a run-producing role.
Behind them, Alejandro Kirk catches and hits fifth, Daulton Varsho is in center field batting sixth, and Kazuma Okamoto slots seventh at third base. That gives Toronto a middle stretch built more on contact and extra-base threat than panic changes.
Ernie Clement at second and Andrés Giménez at shortstop round it out. It's a lineup that looks steady after a game that gave the Blue Jays very little steadiness anywhere on the mound or in the field.
1. DH George Springer 2. LF Jesus Sanchez 3. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr 4. 3B Kazuma Okamoto 5. RF Nathan Lukes 6. 2B Ernie Clement 7. CF Daulton Varsho 8. C Tyler Heineman 9. SS Andres Gimenez SP Max Scherzer
Why Schneider's lineup card matters after Monday
Monday's loss wasn't just a bad score line. Toronto watched Cody Ponce leave hurt, burned through arms, and fell to 3-1 after opening the season with 3 straight wins.
That makes Scherzer the real center of this game, even with all the focus on the bats. The Blue Jays need length from him after the bullpen got dragged through a long night in the series opener.
There's also a clear handedness look to this order. Sánchez, Barger, Varsho and Giménez give Toronto 4 left-handed bats against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner, with Springer and Guerrero splitting them up near the top.
The card also shows Schneider is betting on response, not overreaction. No benching, no dramatic drop for anyone near the top, and no attempt to hide from a loss that got ugly fast.
That's usually how clubs try to bounce back in the first week. You keep your main bats in place, ask your starter to grab the game early, and force the other side to deal with your best version instead of your most nervous one.
For Toronto, that puts real pressure on the first few innings. If Springer and Sánchez can get traffic on for Guerrero, and if Scherzer can lock down the pace, this lineup has a shot to turn one ugly night into just one ugly night.
After last night's brutal performance, hopefully Scherzer can get Toronto back on the right track.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 31|372 ANSWERS Blue Jays turn to Max Scherzer as they try to bounce back Will the Blue Jays even this series behind Max Scherzer ? | ||
| Yes | 354 | 95.2 % |
| No | 18 | 4.8 % |
| List of polls | ||