The Toronto Blue Jays have a chance to keep their playoff push on track when they meet the Athletics in the last game of a three-game set on Wednesday afternoon.
Toronto arrives at 73-73 and sits one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot. With only 16 games left, the margin for error is almost gone.
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.
Toronto Looks to Finish the Series Strong
The Blue Jays opened the series with a rough 6-5 loss on Monday after defensive mistakes hurt their chances. They steadied themselves the next night, beating the Athletics 4-2 to even the matchup.
José Soriano gave Toronto the kind of start it needed, working seven innings and giving up only two solo home runs. Spencer Miles handled the final two frames to close it out.
That Tuesday win also helped the bullpen. After using six pitchers in the opener, Toronto was able to lean on just two arms, giving the relief group a valuable breather before the finale.
A victory would give the Blue Jays a fourth straight series win and keep their recent surge alive during a critical stretch.
Braydon Fisher Gets the Ball First
Toronto will open with Braydon Fisher, who is making his ninth start of the season but has mainly worked out of the bullpen. The Blue Jays are treating this as a bullpen game, so Fisher’s job is to set the tone early.
The right-hander has posted a 3.20 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across 70.1 innings, while striking out 68 batters. He has also gone through five straight outings without allowing a run.
Fisher already showed he can handle this opponent. In two appearances against the Athletics in March, he retired every batter he faced over 2.1 total innings.
Because Fisher is expected to work only the opening portion, manager John Schneider will likely need several relievers to finish the job. Toronto’s lighter workload from Tuesday should make that easier to manage.
Brady Basso Likely to Keep the Game Short for Oakland
The Athletics will counter with left-hander Brady Basso, who also does not profile as a starter built to go deep. Both clubs may need to lean heavily on their bullpens by the middle innings.
Basso is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 33.1 innings. He has made four starts, and none of them has lasted longer than three innings.
That setup puts a premium on relief work and late-game decisions. Matchups after the starters exit could end up deciding the outcome.
Toronto also has a clear record advantage to lean on, as the Athletics sit at 58-88 with one of the weakest run differentials in the majors. Still, Oakland has already shown it can spoil Toronto’s plans by taking the series opener.
Kazuma Okamoto Keeps Driving the Offense
Kazuma Okamoto continues to supply the power Toronto has needed in his first Major League season. He homered in both of the first two games of the series and has quickly become a major part of the lineup.
His solo homer on Tuesday was his 30th of the year, making him the first Blue Jays rookie to reach that mark. The milestone also placed him among a small group of Japanese players to hit 30 home runs in a single MLB season.
Josh Smith added to the damage with a solo shot right before Okamoto. It was Smith’s fifth homer since joining Toronto.
The Wild-Card Chase Leaves No Room for Slippage
Tuesday’s win pulled Toronto back to .500 and kept the team within one game of Cleveland. The Blue Jays cannot lock up anything in this series, but losing to a struggling club would make the path much harder.
The schedule becomes even more significant after Thursday’s off day. Toronto returns home for six games against the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, two teams that are also trying to stay alive in the wild-card race.
Before that home stand begins, the Blue Jays need to finish business in California. A win over the Athletics would secure the series and send Toronto home with its playoff hopes still very much intact.