Blue Jays hope to figure out OF situation ahead of D-backs clash

The Toronto Blue Jays enter the middle game of their three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night with a big question in the outfield.

Who will manager John Schneider put in his lineup card?

They Blue Jays lost two center fielders to injury during their dramatic 5-4 win Tuesday night in the series opener. Toronto, down 4-3 entering the final inning, got a solo home run from Bo Bichette to tie the game with one out, and Addison Barger immediately followed with a walk-off shot.

The Blue Jays already have everyday center fielder Daulton Varsho on the injured list. Nathan Lukes and Anthony Santander are two other injured outfielders.

"It's not a perfect world," Schneider said. "But I give the guys so much credit for just going out there and competing. The swings in the ninth were huge."

Jonatan Clase started in center field for the Blue Jays on Tuesday but left the game after with a bruised knee after being hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. Myles Straw replaced him but suffered a sprained right ankle when he crashed into the wall while trying to make a play on Josh Naylor's RBI double in the following inning.

Alan Roden replaced Straw and later left for a pinch hitter, so Will Robertson finished as Toronto's fourth center fielder of the game.

"A lot was going on," Schneider said. "I didn't really have Will Robertson playing center on my bingo card. It's cool that we have guys that can be versatile and bounce around a little bit."

It is not certain how much playing time Straw and Clase could miss.

The Blue Jays will go for the series victory on Wednesday with left-hander Eric Lauer (2-1, 2.37 ERA) the scheduled starter. He is 3-4 with a 2.44 ERA in nine career starts against the Diamondbacks but has not faced them since 2022.

Arizona is expected to counter with Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 6.27). The left-hander is 5-6 with a 4.97 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) against Toronto.

The Diamondbacks scratched catcher Gabriel Moreno (sore right hand) from the lineup just before the Tuesday game, but he is expected to return on Wednesday. The hand has been an issue recently.

The Diamondbacks, coming off a 5-1 homestand, were on the cusp of starting their nine-game road trip on Wednesday with a win.

The Blue Jays, however, took advantage of two poorly located splitters from Shelby Miller for those ninth-inning home runs to pull out the victory.

"Shelby made a couple of bad pitches," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "It was one of those days. He'll get the ball tomorrow."

The Diamondbacks head into Wednesday's game at .500 (36-36) and in fourth place in the rugged National League West. They are in the mix in the wild-card race, however, and have a chance to pick up ground on this trip. After they leave Toronto, they will make stops against the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, the teams with the two worst records in the major leagues.

Toronto made a flurry of moves on Tuesday. Left-hander Justin Bruihl and right-hander Paxton Schultz were promoted from Triple-A Buffalo. Right-hander Bowden Francis (right shoulder impingement) was put on the 15-day IL, and right-hander Erik Swanson was designated for assignment.

--Field Level Media