The Toronto Blue Jays head into Wednesday afternoon with a clear goal: finish off the Athletics and keep their playoff chase moving in the right direction. They can also lock up a fourth straight series win, which would give their late-season push a major boost.
Toronto is 73-73 and trails the Cleveland Guardians by just one game for the final American League wild-card spot. With 16 games left, the margin for error is tiny, and every result now has extra weight.
The series finale will be played at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento and is set for 3:05 p.m. ET, 12:05 p.m. PT. Fans in Canada can watch on Sportsnet.
A Bounce-Back Series Sets Up a Big Finale
The Blue Jays opened the matchup with a frustrating 6-5 loss on Monday after defensive mistakes helped tilt the game away from them. They answered the next night with a steadier performance, beating the Athletics 4-2 to even the series.
That turnaround mattered beyond the standings. Toronto got a much cleaner night on the mound and in the field, and the bullpen was able to breathe after being taxed heavily in the opener.
José Soriano gave Toronto the kind of outing it needed, throwing seven innings and allowing only two solo home runs. Spencer Miles handled the final two frames, and the Blue Jays needed just two pitchers to get through the game.
That was a sharp contrast to Monday, when six different Toronto pitchers were used. The lighter workload on Tuesday should help the bullpen stay fresher for the finale.
- Toronto can win its fourth series in a row.
- The bullpen enters the game in better shape than it did after Monday.
- Another win would keep the club firmly inside the wild-card conversation.
Braydon Fisher Gets the Ball as an Opener
Toronto will start Braydon Fisher, who is being used as an opener rather than a traditional starter. This will be his ninth start of the season, even though most of his work has come out of the bullpen.
Fisher has put together strong numbers overall, posting a 3.20 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across 70.1 innings while striking out 68 batters. He has also not allowed a run in five straight appearances.
The 26-year-old has already shown he can handle the Athletics. In two outings against them in March, he retired every batter he faced over 2.1 combined innings.
Because Fisher likely will not work deep into the game, John Schneider will need multiple relievers to cover the middle and late innings. Toronto’s improved bullpen availability should make that task more manageable than it was earlier in the series.
Oakland Turns to Brady Basso
The Athletics will send left-hander Brady Basso to the mound, and he also is not expected to give his club a long outing. His season line includes a 1-2 record, a 4.32 ERA, and a 1.41 WHIP over 33.1 innings.
Basso has made four starts this year, but none has lasted longer than three innings. That puts even more importance on which bullpen can settle in faster and execute better once the starters exit.
That setup should create a game shaped by relief pitching, matchup decisions, and late-inning execution. The first team to manage those moments well may end up controlling the afternoon.
- The Athletics own a 58-88 record.
- Their run differential is among the worst in Major League Baseball.
- They still won the series opener, so Toronto cannot afford to overlook them.
Okamoto Keeps Adding Power to Toronto’s Lineup
Kazuma Okamoto has been one of the most important offensive additions of the Blue Jays’ season. He homered in each of the first two games of this series, continuing a hot stretch in his first year in the majors.
His solo home run on Tuesday was his 30th of the season, making him the first Toronto rookie to reach that mark. It also placed him in a very small group of Japanese players to hit at least 30 home runs in a single MLB season.
Josh Smith added to the power display with a solo shot right before Okamoto on Tuesday. For Smith, it was his fifth home run since joining Toronto.
Why This Game Matters Beyond One Series
The Blue Jays’ win on Tuesday brought them back to .500 and kept them within striking distance of Cleveland. They cannot clinch a playoff spot in this series, but losses to a struggling opponent would make the path much tougher.
Toronto has a day off Thursday before returning home for six games against the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers. Those clubs are also tangled in the crowded wild-card race, which means the next homestand could shape the final stretch of the season.
For now, the focus stays on California. If the Blue Jays finish the job against the Athletics, they will head home with another series win and their postseason hopes still very much alive.