The Toronto Blue Jays head into the final game of their three-game set with the Athletics knowing how much is at stake. A victory on Wednesday afternoon would help keep their postseason push on track as the standings tighten in the American League.
Toronto is 73-73 and sits one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the last wild-card spot with 16 games left. That margin leaves little room for mistakes, especially against a struggling opponent.
The series finale begins at 3:05 p.m. ET and 12:05 p.m. PT from Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Fans in Canada can watch the game on Sportsnet.
Toronto Bounced Back Fast After the Series Opener
The Blue Jays opened the series with a frustrating 6-5 loss on Monday, a game shaped in part by defensive errors. They steadied themselves quickly, though, and answered with a 4-2 win on Tuesday to even the matchup.
José Soriano gave Toronto exactly the kind of start it needed. He worked seven innings, surrendering only two solo homers, while Spencer Miles handled the final two frames to finish the job.
That shorter pitching night mattered as much as the result. After using six pitchers in the opener, Toronto was able to rest most of its bullpen and enter Wednesday with more options available.
A win would give the club a fourth straight series victory and add more confidence during the season’s final stretch.
| Item | Toronto | Athletics |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 73-73 | 58-88 |
| Game Time | 3:05 p.m. ET | 12:05 p.m. PT |
| Expected Pitching Plan | Braydon Fisher opening | Brady Basso starting |
| Series Result So Far | Split after two games | Split after two games |
Both Clubs Are Likely to Lean on the Bullpen
Toronto will start Braydon Fisher, who is making his ninth start but has mostly worked out of the bullpen. The right-hander owns a 3.20 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across 70.1 innings, with 68 strikeouts and five straight scoreless outings.
Fisher has also already seen the Athletics twice this year. In those March appearances, he retired every batter he faced over 2.1 combined innings, which gives Toronto a useful benchmark for this matchup.
Because he is being used as an opener, manager John Schneider will likely need multiple relievers to bridge the middle and late innings. The extra bullpen rest from Tuesday’s win should make that plan easier to execute.
Oakland is expected to do something similar with left-hander Brady Basso, who has not been stretched out in a traditional starter’s role. He has a 1-2 record, a 4.32 ERA, and a 1.41 WHIP in 33.1 innings, and none of his four starts has lasted longer than three innings.
That setup puts pressure on both bullpens and raises the importance of late-game decisions. Toronto may also see this as a chance to take advantage of an Athletics club that has struggled all season, although Oakland already proved in the opener that it can complicate the Blue Jays’ path.
Okamoto Keeps Building a Breakout Season
Kazuma Okamoto has been one of Toronto’s most reliable power sources in his first major league season. He homered in the first two games of the series, and his solo blast on Tuesday was his 30th of the year.
That total made him the first Blue Jays rookie to reach 30 home runs. It also placed him among a small group of Japanese players who have done the same in a single MLB season, with Okamoto becoming only the fifth to hit that mark.
Josh Smith added to the damage on Tuesday with a solo shot of his own just before Okamoto went deep. It was Smith’s fifth homer since joining Toronto.
Toronto’s offense does not need to carry the whole game if the pitching plan holds, but another strong showing from Okamoto would go a long way toward securing the series win.
A Critical Stretch Awaits After Wednesday
The Blue Jays are still very much in the wild-card race, and Tuesday’s win moved them back to .500 while keeping them within one game of Cleveland. They cannot clinch anything in this series, but dropping more games to a team with a poor record would make the path much harder.
After a day off on Thursday, Toronto returns home for six games against the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers. Both clubs remain in the crowded postseason chase, which means the next week could shape the race even further.
For now, the focus stays on West Sacramento. A win on Wednesday would send Toronto home with another series victory and protect the momentum it has built at the right time.
