postponed Cubs – Toronto’s Sunday finale against the Chicago Cubs was pushed to Aug. 6 at Wrigley Field due to inclement weather, giving a taxed bullpen extra recovery time. The shuffle also sets up Dylan Cease for Monday in Houston with Shane Bieber’s first start coming on Tu
CHICAGO — The Toronto Blue Jays’ Sunday series finale against the Chicago Cubs didn’t get finished. Inclement weather postponed the game, removing a future off-day from the schedule — but also reshaping the immediate rhythm of a bullpen that has been carrying too much weight.
The matchup was rescheduled to Aug. 6 at Wrigley Field.
That pause matters because the bullpen had already been burned by the way the previous two games were played. Kevin Gausman’s two-inning start on Friday was followed by Patrick Corbin’s 3.2-inning outing the next day. and the result was a heavy tax on Toronto relief. Over those two games, the club used nine relievers. Outfielder Myles Straw also logged four outs in Friday’s 16-2 loss. further piling onto a group that had little margin for error.
Now. instead of squeezing through what had been shaping up as a tricky stretch of 16 games in 16 days. manager John Schneider gets an unexpected off day ahead of Monday’s contest against the Houston Astros at Rogers Centre. It’s a small change with a very tangible payoff: relief pitchers can recover. reset. and come back with their arms under less strain.
Monday’s starting plan points to Dylan Cease taking the ball in Houston. Shane Bieber’s first start off the injured list has been pushed to Tuesday. Bieber’s return is expected to help the rotation picture and reduce the strain on a bullpen that has already logged 332.1 frames this season—an amount that makes up 49 per cent of the team’s total innings. For context, last year’s bullpen accounted for 41.5 per cent of the Blue Jays’ 1,438 innings.
That’s the benefit of the delay. The question is what Toronto gets from Corbin next.
Casting forward, the Blue Jays need more production from the 36-year-old left-hander. His recent struggles have been somewhat masked by Saturday’s dramatic comeback win over the Cubs, but the numbers don’t fade. Over his past four outings, Corbin has allowed 14 runs on 23 hits across 15.1 innings.
That kind of output places his status in the rotation into question. especially with Max Scherzer’s return on the horizon after back spasms. When Scherzer is ready, Toronto will have to decide where Corbin fits. One possible option is shifting him into a bulk bullpen role—but that spot is currently occupied by right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. who has tossed seven scoreless innings since being acquired by the Blue Jays.
While the schedule has offered relief to the bullpen, the lineup of decisions ahead is still tight, and Toronto is also still working through the larger problem of struggling to reach the .500 mark.
Before Saturday’s game at Wrigley, the clubhouse also found a different kind of momentum. Several Blue Jays players wore black T-shirts featuring an image of David Popkins with the caption “LEAVE” in large. white lettering—an ode to the hitting coach and the phrase he yells from the dugout when a batter hesitates at a borderline pitch. George Springer said. “It just became our team thing. ” adding that it’s “awesome to hear it in the at-bat because he yells it and it makes you feel good.”.
Springer credited Popkins’ impact and said the shirts were made and distributed to teammates over the weekend. “We all love Pop,” he said. John Schneider. meanwhile. joked that Popkins “doesn’t like being the centre of attention. ” even as the manager pointed out that he’s the Baseball America [2025] Coach of the Year.
The connection to the plate is showing for Springer’s designated-hitter role in the current stretch. Schneider said Popkins’ work has been paying off at the plate. with Springer posting three homers in his past eight games. Over that span, he collected five walks and 10 hits for a .333/.432/.667 slash line.
Schneider also described what he’s seeing in Springer’s approach: “He’s swinging at good pitches and laying off the ones he shouldn’t be swinging at. ” the manager said. adding that “swings getting a little quicker. a little tighter. ” and that the confidence builds “as that goes. ” starting with “command of the zone.”.
Schneider’s attention is still divided by the sport’s biggest stage: he’ll manage opposite Dave Roberts at next month’s all-star game in Philadelphia. He was asked how he’s preparing for the event.
Schneider said, “Obviously new territory for me and new territory for a lot of the staff. It’s kind of flying by the seat of your pants a little bit and in terms of what’s gonna be asked of us. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun. It’s an experience that I think everyone would love to do. And I’m certainly in that category.”.
He added that the hardest work is likely being handled by the pitching staff and their schedules. “I always say that Pete [Walker] and DeMarlo [Hale] have the hardest job in terms of who’s pitching when and how much we’re pitching and who’s playing how much and what you’re doing. I get to kind of hang out and talk to the media and make sure I’m not doing anything stupid.”.
Schneider said he wants to stay out of the way as part of his role. while recognizing the talent selected for the game. “I think the biggest thing is how you recognize the players that are there and how good they are. the talent level that is actually in that clubhouse and the talent level that is in the other clubhouse in the National League. So, really humbled to be part of it. And just want to stay out of the way as much as I can but recognize the guys who are elected and having the seasons that they are.”.
And for the Blue Jays fan in him, he said, the calendar usually pulls him back into his team—but not next month. “The Blue Jays fan in you kind of goes on the back burner and the baseball fan comes out and you really get to enjoy the best talent in the world.”
Toronto Blue Jays Chicago Cubs postponement Wrigley Field Kevin Gausman Patrick Corbin Myles Straw Dylan Cease Shane Bieber Max Scherzer Simeon Woods Richardson John Schneider George Springer David Popkins