The Toronto Blue Jays made some major changes to their lineup ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers.
Toronto is coming off a series win over the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays won the final two games to get back to .500 but remain 1 game back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
First pitch on Monday is set for 7:07 p.m. ET.
Toronto Blue Jays Drop Ernie Clement
Toronto made some major lineup changes, which saw fan-favorite Ernie Clement get dropped in the lineup.
Clement has been scuffling at the plate as of late, and now Blue Jays manager John Schneider has him batting ninth in the series opener.
Toronto’s lineup on Monday is as follows:
- B. Bateman CF
- G. Springer DH
- V. Guerrero Jr. 1B
- A. Kirk C
- N. Lukes RF
- K. Okamoto 3B
- A. Giménez SS
- J. Smith LF
- E. Clement 2B
The Blue Jays will be starting right-hander Jose Soriano in the series opener against the Tigers on Monday.
Clement is hitting .271 with 9 home runs and 47 RBIs this season. Although he was the starting second baseman for the AL in the All-Star Game, his second-half hasn’t been great. Clement is hitting .163 with 0 home runs and 4 RBIs in his last 15 games.
Toronto Right Now
The Blue Jays are coming off a big series win over the Orioles to remain firmly in the playoff mix.
Toronto’s bats came to life in the final two games to secure the series win. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his first home run at home this season on Sunday in the 8-1 win.
“This feels great, but right now it’s about winning and the team,” Guerrero said through interpreter Hector LeBron. “That’s my focus right now, just trying to win some games. I’m very proud of my team that we were able to win this game against a good team like Baltimore.”
It was a huge home run, and the fanbase and the entire team went crazy.
“You look around and it looked like it was a walk-off homer,” said manager John Schneider. “I saw Giménez jumping over the railing. Me, George and Ernie were all high-fiving. Vlad is our guy.”
The Blue Jays enter play 75-75 and have 12 games left this season.
Toronto Blue Jays Drop Struggling Ernie Clement Before Tigers Series Opener