Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Angels: Starting Lineup - Series Finale Preview

Toronto Blue Jays Lefty Eric Lauer will tow the rubber versus Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jose Soriano.

First Pitch is at 3:07 PM ET on SN1, Fanduel Sports Network, and on Sportsnet 590 The Fan radio.

Wednesday afternoon's matchup will start with a little Angels/Blue Jays history being made.

Angels future Hall of famer Mike Trout will become the franchise leader in games played at one position (1,367 games in centerfield) when he takes the field this afternoon, surpassing former Blue Jays manager Jim Fregosi (1,366 games at shortstop).

Fregosi was a six-time All-Star for the Angels in the decade that he played there (1961-1971).

After his playing career he managed the Halos (4 years) White Sox (3 years), Phillies (6 years), and Blue Jays for his final two years where he compiled a win-loss record of 167-157 before retiring all together.

It took Mike Trout 16 years to reach a mark that Fregosi accomplished in 10.

Fregosi passed away in in 2014. He was 71 years old.

Blue Jays hybrid lefty Eric Lauer (1-3) is on the bump this afternoon. In his last outing Lauer allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings to take the loss versus the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Lauer worked behind opener Braydon Fisher, who tossed a scoreless first inning. This wasn't a terrible outing for Lauer, but it was still his third straight loss, and he may continue to work in bulk relief on occasion moving forward.

Over four appearances this season, he has a poor 7.13 ERA with a 1.47 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB over 17.2 innings.

Walks have been a problem for Lauer in the past, but he looked to have solved that issue with a 2.2 BB/9 over 104.2 innings in 2025.

Jose Soriano (5-0) gets the ball for the Halos today. In his last outing Soriano allowed two hits and four walks while striking out eight over 5.2 shutout innings to earn the win Friday over the Padres.

Soriano fell short of a quality start for the first time this season, but he's still picked up a win in all five outings so far.

The four walks matched his season high from Opening Day versus the Astros, but that's about the only complaint to be had with his performance.

The right-hander has a tiny 0.28 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB across 32.2 innings so far.

The walk rate is a concern in the long run, but he's consistently shown an ability to limit home runs as a groundball pitcher.

He'll see his luck fade at some point, but he looks like the Angels' clear ace early in 2026.

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), Lazaro Estrada 15-Day IL (shoulder), Trey Yesavage: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Bowden Francis: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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