The Toronto Blue Jays misplaced a decent, 3-1 sport to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday. However Toronto appears to be like to halt the Yankees profitable streak at 5 Saturday by sending ace Dylan Stop to the mound.
Earlier than the sport, the Blue Jays introduced a lineup determination with 30-year-old infielder Ernie Clement.
Clement is batting sixth and beginning at shortstop for the Blue Jays on Saturday in opposition to the streaking Yankees in The Bronx.
The choice retains a gradual contact bat in the midst of the order as Toronto tries to even the three-game collection.
Clement enters Saturday hitting .285 with 9 residence runs, 43 RBI and a .714 OPS throughout 126 video games, numbers that rank among the many higher contact profiles on Toronto’s roster. A fourth-round select of the College of Virginia in 2017, Clement has began at second base, third base and shortstop this season, valued as a lot for his glove’s flexibility as his bat.
| TORONTO BLUE JAYS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Dylan Stop (RHP) • 7-5, 2.42 ERA | ||||
| August 22, 2026 • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY • 1:35 PM EDT • Blue Jays at Yankees | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Brett Bateman | RF | .302 | .396 |
| 2 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B | .263 | .356 |
| 3 | Alejandro Kirk | C | .284 | .432 |
| 4 | George Springer | DH | .235 | .387 |
| 5 | Kazuma Okamoto | 3B | .230 | .438 |
| 6 | Ernie Clement | SS | .285 | .403 |
| 7 | Daz Cameron | LF | .364 | .727 |
| 8 | Charles McAdoo | 2B | .263 | .404 |
| 9 | Myles Straw | CF | .212 | .319 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). Daz Cameron .364 AVG / .727 SLG displays an excessive small pattern. | ||||
Ernie Clement’s Batting Order Splits
The sixth spot hasn’t been Clement’s favourite place. He’s hitting .244 with three residence runs and 11 RBI in 24 video games batting sixth, a .659 OPS properly beneath his manufacturing from the highest of the order. He’s been significantly higher within the 2-hole, hitting .319, and the leadoff spot, the place he’s at .282.
His current stretch has trended upward no matter slot, nevertheless. Clement went 3-for-5 with three runs on August 18 in opposition to Tampa Bay, and he’s reached base in 4 of his final 5 video games general. Friday introduced a quieter night time — Clement went 1-for-4 in Toronto’s 3-1 loss, with Spencer Jones’ two-run homer and a José Caballero sacrifice fly doing the injury in opposition to Toronto’s bullpen. Alejandro Kirk drove in Toronto’s solely run with a fifth-inning single off Cam Schlittler.
| NEW YORK YANKEES STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Ryan Weathers (LHP) • 5-7, 3.56 ERA | ||||
| August 22, 2026 • Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY • 1:35 PM EDT • Blue Jays at Yankees | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Trent Grisham | CF | .223 | .420 |
| 2 | Ben Rice | DH | .249 | .530 |
| 3 | Heliot Ramos | LF | .243 | .392 |
| 4 | Luis García Jr. | 1B | .278 | .540 |
| 5 | Spencer Jones | RF | .229 | .425 |
| 6 | George Lombard Jr. | SS | .288 | .423 |
| 7 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2B | .214 | .386 |
| 8 | Austin Wells | C | .175 | .292 |
| 9 | José Caballero | 3B | .237 | .381 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). | ||||
Toronto’s Lineup Technique Behind the Sixth Spot
The development stacks Toronto’s contact and energy within the center. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto occupy the second by way of fifth spots earlier than Clement anchors the flip right into a lighter backside third that includes Daz Cameron, Charles McAdoo and Myles Straw. It’s not a lot a platoon transfer in opposition to Yankees left-hander Ryan Weathers than a choice to unfold harmful bats by way of the order.
Clement’s task at shortstop additionally displays a roster determination. Andrés Giménez, Toronto’s common on the place, is taken into account day-to-day, opening the door for Clement’s defensive versatility. Toronto throws Stop on Saturday, and the lineup building round him leans on the identical thought driving Clement’s spot, particularly, to maintain regular bats unfold by way of the order fairly than betting every thing on the highest of the cardboard.
The Blue Jays sit at 63-67, fourth within the American League East and roughly 14 video games behind the division-leading Rays. The Yankees are 73-55, three video games behind Tampa Bay for second, and lead the season collection 6-5 coming into Saturday. Toronto has gained six of its final 10 video games general, a stretch that features collection wins over Boston and Tampa Bay.
With little separating the 2 golf equipment in current conferences, Toronto’s lineup displays an try and squeeze offense from each spot fairly than chase one matchup. Clement’s contact expertise and glove make him the connective piece linking the center of the order to the underside, no matter what his sixth-spot numbers have appeared like this season.
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