Toronto Blue Jays vs Arizona Diamondbacks: Starting Lineup - Opening Game Preview

The team announced that right-handed reliever Braydon Fisher will be tonight's opener, who will hand things over to Blue Jays left-hander Eric Lauer for the bulk of the game.

The Diamondbacks will counter with Canadian right-hander Michael Soroka.

First Pitch is at 9:40 PM ET on Sportsnet, Dbacks TV, and on Sportsnet 590 The Fan radio.

The aforementioned Fisher will serve as the opener before handing things over to Eric Lauer, who is slated to handle the bulk of the innings.

Lauer, will be looking to rebound after a difficult outing against the Minnesota Twins, where he surrendered seven runs and allowed 10 baserunners in 5.1 innings.

The opener strategy is designed to have a reliever face the top of the opposing lineup early, limiting how often the primary pitcher must go through the most dangerous hitters.

Meanwhile, Calgary Alberta native Michael Soroka (3-0) gets the ball for the Dbacks.

In his last outing Soroka picked up the win, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in a 5-4 victory over the Phillies. He struck out 10.

Things looked bleak for the right-hander when he got tagged for four runs in the first inning, with most of the damage coming on a three-run blast by Brandon Marsh, but Soroka buckled down and gave his offense a chance to rally, finally getting lifted after 93 pitches (61 strikes).

In the process, he became just the second pitcher in Arizona history to strike out double-digit batters in two of his first three starts for the team, with Hall of Famer Randy Johnson having been the first to do it, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

Soroka will take his 2.87 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB through 15.2 innings into tonight's contest against a Blue Jays lineup struggling to find their identity early in 2026.

Former Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., will not be active this weekend, as both are on the injured list.

Moreno has a left oblique strain, Gurriel Jr. is recovering from ACL surgery after sustaining a surgery in September last season.

Blue Jays: George Springer: (fractured left toe 10-Day IL), Cody Ponce: 60-Day IL (knee), Anthony Santander: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Addison Barger: day-to-day (ankle), Alejandro Kirk: 10-Day IL (thumb), Shane Bieber: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jose Berrios: 15-Day IL (elbow), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (elbow), Trey Yesavage: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Bowden Francis: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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