The Toronto Blue Jays head into the last game of their three-game set with the Athletics knowing how much is at stake. At 73-73, Toronto sits one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot, and with 16 games left, there is little room for error.
The finale is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. ET and 12:05 p.m. PT at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Fans in Canada can watch the game on Sportsnet.
How Toronto Rebounded After a Costly First Game
The Blue Jays opened the series with a frustrating 6-5 loss on Monday, when defensive miscues helped put them in an early hole. They answered the next night with a cleaner performance and a 4-2 win that pulled the series level.
Toronto’s pitching plan paid off in a major way on Tuesday. José Soriano delivered seven innings and gave up only two solo homers, while Spencer Miles handled the final two frames to close it out.
That shortened workload mattered for the bullpen. After using six pitchers in Monday’s defeat, Toronto got a much-needed breather before the deciding game.
- A win would give Toronto a fourth straight series victory.
- It would also keep the club on track during a tense late-season stretch.
- Reaching the finish line with momentum could prove vital in the wild-card chase.
Braydon Fisher Gets the Opener Role
Toronto will start Braydon Fisher, who is making his ninth appearance as a starter this season even though he has mostly worked out of the bullpen. The Blue Jays are using him as an opener and will likely lean on several relievers behind him.
Fisher has put together a solid season overall, posting a 3.20 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across 70.1 innings. He has also struck out 68 batters and has not allowed a run in five straight outings.
| Pitcher | Role | Record | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braydon Fisher | Toronto opener | Not listed | 3.20 | 1.24 |
| Brady Basso | Athletics starter | 1-2 | 4.32 | 1.41 |
The right-hander also matches up well with Oakland’s lineup based on earlier results. He faced the Athletics twice in March and retired every hitter he saw over 2.1 combined innings.
Because he is expected to work only in the early innings, Toronto’s bullpen depth will be tested again. The good news is that Tuesday’s lighter usage gives manager John Schneider more flexibility than he had after the series opener.
Athletics Turn to Brady Basso in a Short-Start Setup
Oakland will counter with left-hander Brady Basso, who has also struggled to work deep into games. Across 33.1 innings, he owns a 1-2 record, a 4.32 ERA, and a 1.41 WHIP.
Basso has made four starts this season, and none of them has lasted longer than three innings. That setup points to another bullpen-heavy night for both sides, with late matchups likely deciding the result.
The Athletics enter with a 58-88 record and one of the weakest run differentials in the majors. Even so, they already proved they can complicate Toronto’s playoff pursuit by taking the series opener.
Power Bats Keep Toronto in the Hunt
Kazuma Okamoto continues to be one of Toronto’s most important run producers in his first major league season. He homered in both of the first two games of the series, and his solo blast on Tuesday was his 30th of the year.
That homer made him the first Blue Jays rookie to reach 30 home runs in a season. It also placed him among a very small group of Japanese players to hit that milestone in MLB, making his debut year even more notable.
Josh Smith added to the damage with a solo home run right before Okamoto went deep. The homer was Smith’s fifth since joining Toronto.
Toronto may not clinch anything in this series, but a loss would make the wild-card climb much steeper with the schedule narrowing fast.
The Next Few Days Carry Extra Weight
Tuesday’s win moved Toronto back to .500 and kept the club within one game of Cleveland. That keeps the Blue Jays alive in the race, but they still need to keep stacking wins against teams they are expected to beat.
The calendar is about to turn even more demanding. After Thursday’s off day, Toronto returns home for six games against the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, two more teams that are directly involved in the wild-card race.
Before that stretch begins, the Blue Jays need to finish the job in California. A victory on Wednesday would lock up another series win and send them home with their postseason hopes intact.