Athletics (Severino) vs. Blue Jays (Gausman): 3/27/26, 7:07pm

[Brandon Glick]

Yesterday was tough. Watching (nearly) every other team celebrate Opening Day while the Blue Jays sat at home genuinely felt like that one Spongebob meme with Squidward starting out his window.

Luckily, Toronto will be the featured entree today. In their first regular season game since Game 7 of the Fall Classic, the rebuilt and retooled Jays will take on a middling A's team. And, at long last, Gausy will take his Opening Day start.

 

[Brandon Glick]

 

[PitaBaby]

LFG!!!!

 

[bluejaysinternNo5]

The A's can hit the ball. But we can hit the ball better.

[mphenhef]

Let's go!

[Stangstag]

8 minutes ago, bluejaysinternNo5 said:

The A's can hit the ball. But we can hit the ball better.

Yeah this could be a high-scoring series. Expect at least 1 of our starters to get blown up. 
 

Just win 2/3

[G-Snarls]

Lets F'n GO!!!

-

 

 

 

[Jonn]

A win here would be huge.

[ComeTogether]

Banner raising night. 

Start the season with a W. 

[Olerud363.354]

went to make sure my mlb tv was set up so I don't have to fool around with the password tonight and miss the first inning and...

Buffalo is playing apparently?  Did not know they start in March too.  Felt sorry for Eloy Jiminez, though I guess not too different than Chicago in March.   30 degrees and 5 people in the stands. 

Thought in passed years the minors waited a week or so at least until April. 

[ComeTogether]

 

 

[Stangstag]

40 minutes ago, ComeTogether said:

Banner raising night. 

Start the season with a W. 

Must-win game after the way our last game ended

[Stangstag]

5 minutes ago, ComeTogether said:

 

 

Nice lineup, I really hope our former cleanup hitter can regain the bat a bit. A 20mil per year all-glove SS aint so hot

[BTS]

No real surprises in the lineup. I think Scheider is eventually going to have to get away from Lukes hitting 2nd 

[Olerud363.354]

4 minutes ago, BTS said:

No real surprises in the lineup. I think Scheider is eventually going to have to get away from Lukes hitting 2nd 

Yeah.  Jays got away with that last year until they didn't.  Problem is not only Lukes, but that it ends up Schneider, then Straw when he comes in for defense ... so the 2 spot in a couple of World Series games was a mess. 

[Laika]

10 minutes ago, Olerud363.354 said:

Yeah.  Jays got away with that last year until they didn't.  Problem is not only Lukes, but that it ends up Schneider, then Straw when he comes in for defense ... so the 2 spot in a couple of World Series games was a mess. 

Exactly that was painful 

[Jays24]

58 minutes ago, ComeTogether said:

 

 

Look at that, called the exact lineup. 

[harvey16]

Surprised to see Varsho so far down the lineup with the spring he had. I would of swapped Lukes and Varsho in the order. Varso also a great bunter if we want to play some small ball.

[max silver]

9 minutes ago, harvey16 said:

Surprised to see Varsho so far down the lineup with the spring he had. I would of swapped Lukes and Varsho in the order. Varso also a great bunter if we want to play some small ball.

I don't think that a player with Varsho's power should be laying down bunts except against the occasional tough lefty starter if he's in the starting lineup.

[max silver]

42 minutes ago, BTS said:

No real surprises in the lineup. I think Scheider is eventually going to have to get away from Lukes hitting 2nd 

In a perfect world Vlad would be over his phobia of hitting second as he's the prototypical modern number 2 hitter who is inserted into the number 3 spot in the order.

[Jays24]

14 minutes ago, harvey16 said:

Surprised to see Varsho so far down the lineup with the spring he had. I would of swapped Lukes and Varsho in the order. Varso also a great bunter if we want to play some small ball.

For whatever reason, every time the Jays moved him into the top 4, he's struggled.  Hes just been better down in the order. 

Then you consider his tendency to strike out and low OBP, makes sense to keep him there.  Im sure he'll do great to make Schneider move him into the 2 spot during the season though and then it'll be on him to show he belongs there. 

[max silver]

7 minutes ago, Jays24 said:

For whatever reason, every time the Jays moved him into the top 4, he's struggled.  Hes just been better down in the order. 

Then you consider his tendency to strike out and low OBP, makes sense to keep him there.  Im sure he'll do great to make Schneider move him into the 2 spot during the season though and then it'll be on him to show he belongs there. 

I don't think Varsho is a great choice for the 2 hole in the order, but I'm cautiously optimistic that a dramatic improvement to his strikeout rate may be incoming. He struck out in only 4 of his 50 spring training plate appearances which is good for a 7.4% strikeout rate. He obviously won't keep that up against regular season quality pitching but I think it's one of the many signs that point towards a potential monster season at the plate for Varsho.

[glory]

This is a Jays home opener, so I'm guessing the start time is 7:07, but whatever ceremony they have planned will start at like 7:04, so the actual game starts much (much) later? 

Agreed about Lukes batting 2nd. I don't mind if they want to mix and match Lukes and Sanchez against RHP depending on who is pitching, but bat them lower in the lineup, especially if they are going to be platooned (as mentioned, that means Straw bats 2nd if/when he comes in for defense). 

[Angrioter]

Aquí vamos otra vez!! 

 

 

Vamos Azulejos!! 

[Jays24]

3 minutes ago, max silver said:

I don't think Varsho is a great choice for the 2 hole in the order, but I'm cautiously optimistic that a dramatic improvement to his strikeout rate may be incoming. He struck out in only 4 of his 50 spring training plate appearances which is good for a 7.4% strikeout rate. He obviously won't keep that up against regular season quality pitching but I think it's one of the many signs that point towards a potential monster season at the plate for Varsho.

Im expecting a major contract year from him.  Career high 35HR with less strikeouts (5/6 WAR type season)

[Stangstag]

4 minutes ago, max silver said:

I don't think Varsho is a great choice for the 2 hole in the order, but I'm cautiously optimistic that a dramatic improvement to his strikeout rate may be incoming. He struck out in only 4 of his 50 spring training plate appearances which is good for a 7.4% strikeout rate. He obviously won't keep that up against regular season quality pitching but I think it's one of the many signs that point towards a potential monster season at the plate for Varsho.

Varsho profiles best as a 3 or 5 hitter. Or bottom of the lineup when he’s struggling.

High K and high power is what you want hitting 3/5

Feel like Barger/Varsho hitting 3/5 is eventually the best scenario 

[max silver]

12 minutes ago, Jays24 said:

Im expecting a major contract year from him.  Career high 35HR with less strikeouts (5/6 WAR type season)

If he simply continues on a similar path to last season but with better health he's a 4 win player heading into free agency. I agree that a 5+ win season feels like a plausible ceiling as the power is for real, and if the arm strength bounces back a bit he may provide his best ever defensive season as he's peaking athletically in terms of jumps and range. I do expect he's going to be very expensive in free agency and I don't have a feel for whether the front office is going to make a serious push to retain his services.

[Omar]

The boys of summer are back!

LET'S GO BLUE JAYS!!!!!!

[max silver]

49 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

Varsho profiles best as a 3 or 5 hitter. Or bottom of the lineup when he’s struggling.

High K and high power is what you want hitting 3/5

Feel like Barger/Varsho hitting 3/5 is eventually the best scenario 

I like Okamoto in the number 2 spot but that would leave the top of the lineup extremely right handed and vulnerable to shut down righty relievers, and also have the knockoff effect of making the middle to bottom a little too left handed in nature and vulnerable to lefty shut down relievers. I do think the best case scenario is for one of the lefty bats to eventually seize the second spot in the lineup to create matchup problems for opposition managers. 

[Stangstag]

7 minutes ago, max silver said:

I like Okamoto in the number 2 spot but that would leave the top of the lineup extremely right handed and vulnerable to shut down righty relievers, and also have the knockoff effect of making the middle to bottom a little too left handed in nature and vulnerable to lefty shut down relievers. I do think the best case scenario is for one of the lefty bats to eventually seize the second spot in the lineup to create matchup problems for opposition managers. 

I think I like

1. Springer

2. Barger

3. Vlad

4. Kirk

5. Varsho

6. Okamoto

7. Lukes

8. Ernie

9. Gimenez