The Blue Jays are heading into a September stretch that could shape their playoff fate, and they’ve got a quick reset after taking two of three from the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend.
Toronto opened that series with a loss on Friday night at home, then answered by winning the final two games to take the set. That left the Blue Jays exactly where they started in the American League wild-card race: one game behind the Cleveland Guardians.
That gap matters even more because of what’s happening elsewhere. Both Toronto and Cleveland still have 12 games left, but the Guardians are also just a half-game behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central.
If the final wild-card spot comes down to a tie between Toronto and Cleveland, the Blue Jays would own the tiebreaker. They would not have that edge over Chicago, which makes the standings around them a big deal.
Next up is a three-game home series against the Detroit Tigers beginning Monday night, and manager John Schneider has already lined up two of the starters. It’s a major series in the middle of September, even if Detroit looks very different from the club that opened the year.
The Tigers are nine games under .500, have dealt away pitchers Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, and sit six games back of the White Sox in the AL Central.
Here’s how the pitching matchups are set:
Monday: Troy Melton (8-4, 2.42 ERA) vs. José Soriano (12-7, 3.48 ERA), 7:07 p.m.
Tuesday: Drew Anderson (4-6, 3.80 ERA) vs. TBD, 7:07 p.m.
Wednesday: TBD vs. Max Scherzer (2-8, 6.38 ERA), 3:07 p.m.
Soriano has given Schneider a lift since coming over from the Los Angeles Angels. In seven starts with Toronto, he’s 3-1 with a 4.05 ERA.
The Blue Jays have also won both of his September outings, against the Guardians and Athletics. Earlier this season, Soriano faced the Tigers with the Angels and gave up seven hits and three runs over five innings.
Toronto still hasn’t announced a starter for Tuesday, but Scherzer is lined up for Wednesday’s finale, and it could be the biggest start of his season. He was hit hard on Friday night against Baltimore, allowing six runs on seven hits in five innings, so the Blue Jays need a sharper outing from him.
While Toronto deals with Detroit, the Guardians and White Sox are starting a three-game series in Cleveland that could shake up the postseason picture. For the Blue Jays, being one game out with 12 games left is a spot they would have welcomed earlier in the season. Now they’ve got the chance they’ve been waiting for.
In Other News...
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Is Now At Center Of Torontos Biggest Problem
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has always been the kind of bat the Blue Jays could build around, which is why his 2026 slide has landed with so much force. The six-time All-Star first baseman is not producing at the level Toronto has come to expect, and the drop from his 2025 numbers has been sharp enough to change the way the lineup looks and feels around him.
For a club whose offense has gone from fourth to last in runs per game, Guerreros reduced power has become more than a slow start or an isolated slump. His current OPS sits third on the team despite his place among the highest-paid players, which puts Toronto in an awkward spot as it tries to figure out whether the lineup needs a spark, a reset, or something more significant from the player it was supposed to revolve around. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Face A Costly Problem In The Wild Card Race
The Blue Jays left Detroit with one of those losses that can linger well beyond a single night. Toronto had chances early, put pressure on the Tigers in key spots and still came up empty, a missed opportunity in a crowded Wild Card race where every game seems to carry a little more weight. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came to the plate with runners on base more than once, but the big hit never arrived, and the offense could not turn those openings into the kind of cushion this team needed.
Torontos problem was not limited to the lineup, either. With key relievers unavailable, the margin for error shrank even further once the game tightened, and the Blue Jays had to navigate it without some of the bullpen options they would normally lean on in a late-season push. In a race this tight, nights like this can add up quickly, especially when a club gets traffic on the bases and still walks away with nothing to show for it. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Waste Another Strong Night In A Brutal Late Collapse
Jos Soriano gave the Blue Jays exactly what they needed for most of the night, working six strong innings and putting Toronto in position to leave with a win. For a while, it looked like another straightforward case of solid pitching carrying a team that has been trying to find steadier footing, and the Blue Jays had enough going to keep the game tight into the later innings.
Instead, the Tigers chipped away when it mattered most, with Kazuma Okamotos seventh-inning home run starting the turn and the finish coming apart in painful fashion. A defensive misplay in the ninth inning opened the door for the winning run, turning what had been a promising night into a 6-5 loss and another reminder that Toronto is still giving games away late. [Read more 🡒]