The Toronto Blue Jays can take another step in their playoff pursuit when they meet the Athletics in the deciding game of their three-game set on Wednesday afternoon. With the standings still crowded, this matchup carries real weight for Toronto’s postseason hopes.
Toronto arrives at 73-73, just one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot. Only 16 games remain, so every win now has a direct impact on the club’s path forward.
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 Opening Night
The series began in frustrating fashion for the Blue Jays, who dropped Monday’s opener 6-5 after defensive lapses hurt their chances. They answered the next night with a much cleaner performance, beating the Athletics 4-2 to even the series.
José Soriano gave Toronto the kind of start it needed on Tuesday. The right-hander worked seven innings and gave up only two solo home runs, while Spencer Miles handled the final two frames to close it out.
That compact pitching plan was especially useful after Monday’s loss forced six different pitchers into action. Soriano’s length allowed most of the bullpen to rest, which could matter again in the finale.
A victory on Wednesday would give Toronto its fourth straight series win and extend a run that has kept the team alive in the wild-card chase.
Braydon Fisher Gets the Ball as an Opener
Toronto will start the game with Braydon Fisher, who is being used as an opener rather than a traditional starter. It will be his ninth start of the year, though he has spent most of the season working out of the bullpen.
Fisher has posted a 3.20 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across 70.1 innings, and he has struck out 68 hitters. The 26-year-old is also riding a stretch of five straight scoreless outings.
He has already seen the Athletics twice this season in March and was perfect across 2.1 combined innings against them. That earlier success gives Toronto a useful early advantage as it tries to navigate another bullpen-heavy game.
Because Fisher is expected to work only the first portion of the contest, manager John Schneider will have to piece together the rest with relievers. Tuesday’s lighter workload should make that easier than it would have been after the series opener.
Brady Basso Brings a Similar Short-Start Profile
Oakland will counter with left-hander Brady Basso, who is also not built to go deep into the game. The Athletics are likely to use multiple arms once again, which should make late-inning execution a major factor.
Basso owns a 1-2 record with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 33.1 innings. He has made four starts this season, and none of them has gone beyond three innings.
That setup points to a game shaped by bullpen decisions, matchups, and timing rather than by length from the starters. Toronto’s relief depth could become an advantage if the opener and middle innings break in its favor.
The Blue Jays also face an opponent with a 58-88 record and one of the weakest run differentials in the majors. Even so, Oakland has already shown that it can disrupt Toronto’s momentum by taking the first game of the series.
Okamoto Keeps Adding Power to Toronto’s Push
Kazuma Okamoto has been one of Toronto’s most important bats in his first major league season. His power has shown up at exactly the right time, giving the Blue Jays another dangerous middle-of-the-order option.
He homered in each of the first two games of the series, and Tuesday’s solo shot was his 30th of the year. That made him the first Blue Jays rookie to reach 30 home runs in a season.
Okamoto also became only the fifth Japanese player to hit at least 30 homers in a single MLB campaign. For a first-year player, that places him in rare company and underscores how quickly he has become a difference-maker.
Josh Smith added to the production on Tuesday as well, going deep with a solo homer just before Okamoto. It was Smith’s fifth home run since joining Toronto.
The Wild-Card Race Leaves No Room for Slippage
The Blue Jays’ Tuesday win moved them back to .500 and kept them within one game of Cleveland. They cannot clinch anything in this series, but dropping a game to a struggling opponent would make the remaining schedule much harder.
Toronto now turns toward a crucial stretch after Thursday’s off day. A six-game home stand against the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers follows, and both clubs remain part of the same crowded wild-card race.
Before that stretch begins, Toronto has one more task in California. Taking the finale would secure another series win and send the Blue Jays home with their postseason hopes still very much alive.
