The Blue Jays head into Wednesday afternoon with a chance to keep their postseason hopes moving in the right direction when they close out a three-game set against the Athletics. Toronto is still fighting for position in the American League wild-card race, and with only 16 games left, there is very little margin 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 follow the game on Sportsnet.
A response built from Tuesday’s sharper performance
Toronto opened the series in messy fashion, allowing defensive mistakes to help sink it in a 6-5 loss on Monday. The club steadied itself the next night and answered with a cleaner 4-2 win to even the set.
Jose Soriano gave the Blue Jays exactly the kind of stability they needed. He worked seven innings, surrendered only two solo home runs, and handed the game over to Spencer Miles, who finished the last two frames without trouble.
That shorter pitching night mattered just as much as the result. After using six pitchers on Monday, Toronto got most of its bullpen a much-needed breather before Wednesday’s game.
- Toronto enters at 73-73 and sits one game behind Cleveland for the last wild-card spot.
- A win would give the Blue Jays a fourth straight series victory.
- Limiting bullpen stress on Tuesday could pay off in the series finale.
Braydon Fisher gets the opener assignment
The Blue Jays will start with Braydon Fisher, who is making his ninth start of the season even though most of his work has come in relief. Toronto is using him as an opener, so his outing is expected to be brief.
Fisher has put together a solid season line with a 3.20 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts across 70.1 innings. He has also been especially sharp lately, posting five straight scoreless appearances.
He already has experience against the Athletics, too. In two meetings back in March, he retired every batter he faced over 2.1 combined innings.
Because Fisher is unlikely to cover many frames, manager John Schneider will need several relievers to handle the middle and late innings. Toronto’s fresher bullpen should make that plan easier to carry out.
Oakland turns to another short outing on the mound
The Athletics will counter with left-hander Brady Basso, who has also struggled to work deep into games. His profile suggests the finale may turn into a bullpen contest quickly.
Basso owns a 1-2 record with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP over 33.1 innings. He has made four starts this year, but none has lasted longer than three innings.
That sets up a matchup where late-game pitching decisions could shape everything. Both clubs may have to lean heavily on relievers, making matchup management and execution especially important.
Toronto also has the added advantage of facing an Athletics team that has gone 58-88 and ranks near the bottom of Major League Baseball in run differential. Even so, Oakland already showed this series can swing unexpectedly when it took Monday’s opener.
Okamoto’s power keeps changing the conversation
Kazuma Okamoto has become one of the most important stories in Toronto’s lineup during his first major league season. His power has arrived at exactly the right time for a team trying to stay alive in the standings.
Okamoto homered in both of the first two games of the series, and Tuesday’s solo blast was his 30th of the year. That made him the first rookie in Blue Jays history to reach 30 home runs.
The milestone also placed him in a rare group globally. He became only the fifth Japanese player to hit at least 30 home runs in a single MLB season.
Josh Smith added to the damage on Tuesday with a solo homer of his own, coming just before Okamoto’s shot. It was Smith’s fifth long ball since joining Toronto.
Every result matters more from here
Toronto’s win on Tuesday brought the club back to .500 and kept it within one game of Cleveland. The Blue Jays cannot clinch anything in this series, but losing ground to a struggling opponent would make the road much harder.
What comes next is just as important. After Thursday’s off day, Toronto returns home for six games against the Orioles and Tigers, two more teams tangled in the wild-card race.
Before that stretch begins, the Blue Jays still need to finish business in California. Taking the finale would secure another series win and send them home with momentum intact.