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Tigers spoil José Soriano’s no-hit bid in back-and-forth tilt with Blue Jays

Thomas Hall — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 03:30:50 GMT

TORONTO — José Soriano’s attempt to join Dave Stieb in franchise lore was horribly spoiled by the Detroit Tigers’ seventh-inning rally on Monday.

Fresh off twirling a seven-inning, two-run performance his last time out against the Athletics, Soriano was sensational through the first half of his eighth start as a Blue Jay. The 27-year-old delivered a pitching clinic early on, retiring the first 16 batters he faced before a walk from Tigers outfielder Zach McKinstry — on a pitch that, had an ABS challenge been used, would’ve overturned the call and kept the at-bat alive — broke up the right-hander’s perfect-game bid.

Source: Baseball Savant

Still, after Soriano retired the next two batters to end the top of the sixth inning, he hadn’t allowed a hit on 69 pitches. Not only that, but just two balls had left the infield at that point: a pair of flyouts. Everything else was either a ground-ball out, a lineout back to Soriano or one of his five strikeouts on the night.

“Everything was working well,” he said.

This outing was shaping up to be Toronto’s best no-hit bid since the pair that Dylan Cease recorded in July — one in San Francisco before the All-Star break and the other a complete game, one-hitter in Boston. In the end, though, it wound up being yet another close call.

It all went for naught as Soriano fell victim to the third-time-through penalty against Detroit’s lineup.

Gleyber Torres’ leadoff single in the top of the seventh snapped Soriano’s no-hitter, prompting a standing ovation from the 42,000-plus home crowd. That meant Stieb’s record was safe once again, as he remains the only pitcher in these parts to have ever carried a no-hit bid across the finish line.

It wasn’t the most painful no-hitter this franchise has lost, and those have certainly been plentiful across its 50 seasons. However, Torres’ single marked the first of five hits in the inning, sparking a four-run rally for Detroit — all of which were charged to Soriano, who departed after 6.1 innings.

This was another reminder of how quickly an inning can snowball. Just like that, Soriano was on the hook for a loss, one he definitely didn’t deserve. Fortunately, Kazuma Okamoto made sure that wouldn’t be the case, cranking his 33rd home run of the season in the bottom half of the seventh, now the most by a Japanese-born right-handed hitter in a single campaign.

OKAMOTO FOR THE LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/Rv4KjxiHh3

— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) September 15, 2026

With Okamoto’s massive swing, his fifth homer in the last seven games, the Blue Jays had a chance to salvage a much-needed 76th victory on the year, which, with the Cleveland Guardians already having lost, would’ve given them possession of the third AL wild-card seed again as a virtue of owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Toronto’s bullpen, however, couldn’t lock this one down — a rarity for manager John Schneider.

The club’s skipper called upon his favourite weapon, closer Louis Varland, for a five-out save with two runners on and only one out in the top of the eighth. But a bloop, 66.8-m.p.h. single from Brett Callahan pushed a run across — charged to lefty Joe Mantiply — to supply another momentum swing, which this game wasn’t short on.

Varland ended the threat one batter later, but not before the Tigers could tie the game at 5-5. Then, upon returning for the ninth, they eventually took the lead soon after Varland dropped a throw from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. while running to cover first base, earning him just his second blown save of 2026.

Sometimes, that’s life as a closer, even for one of baseball’s best. Saves aren’t always automatic.

“I think when you bring in Louis, everyone just expects it to be perfect,” Schneider said post-game.

Regardless of this disappointing outcome, it’s important not to overlook that, until the very end, this was Soriano’s best start as a Blue Jay yet. It simply required a more inspiring ending — as did Monday’s devastating 6-5 loss to the Tigers.

“His stuff was really good,” Schneider said of Soriano’s performance. “I thought they hit some hanging breaking balls. That was it, really.”

Had Toronto’s offence been able to provide a bit more margin for error earlier on in the night, when they had the bases loaded in both the second and third innings but failed to add to their two-run advantage, perhaps this would’ve ended with a different outcome.

Instead, the Blue Jays let another winnable game slip away here, dropping them back to one game below .500. With only 11 remaining, they can’t afford to waste any more over these final two weeks.

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Instant Reaction: Late error costs Blue Jays in series opener against Tigers

Michael Coyle — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 02:32:21 GMT

This is a game the Toronto Blue Jays will want back.

The 6-5 loss against the Detroit Tigers drops the Blue Jays’ record to 75-76 through 151 games and leaves them 1.0 game back of the Cleveland Guardians for the American League’s final Wild Card spot.

Tied heading into the top of the ninth inning, the Tigers mounted a rally of their own. After a leadoff walk to Spencer Torkelson, Zack McKinstry attempted a sacrifice bunt that resulted in Torkelson getting forced out at second base.

McKinstry followed with a stolen base and ended up coming all the way around to score on Hao-Yu Lee’s ground ball that was fielded by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero’s throw was dropped by Louis Varland and rolled away just enough for McKinstry to scamper home and make it 6-5.

The Blue Jays struck first on Monday, getting to Tigers starter Troy Melton in the bottom of the first inning. Brett Bateman opened with a single before George Springer worked a six-pitch walk to set up runners on first and second with no one out.

With one out, catcher Alejandro Kirk lined a 1-2 single from Melton into left field to bring home Bateman and give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead. With runners on first and third, Melton uncorked a wild pitch to allow Springer to dash home to extend the lead to 2-0.

The Blue Jays and José Soriano felt like they were on the way to achieving something special through six innings before it all came crashing down in the top of the seventh.

Soriano had held the Tigers hitless through six innings with the lone baserunner coming by way of a McKinstry walk before the Tigers strung together five hits in the first six batters to open the top of the seventh. Max Clark drove in two runs with a double and Torkelson cashed in Clark immediately with a double of his own to turn the game upside down.

The end result was Soriano walking off the mound to an ovation from the Toronto faithful with the Blue Jays trailing 4-2. Soriano finished his evening with a pitching line of 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K and threw 90 pitches.

Through his first eight starts with the Blue Jays since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels, Soriano is 3-1 with a 4.27 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The right-hander has struck out 32 batters across 46.1 innings pitched and been hit at a .260 clip.

Trailing 4-2 with two out and two runners on, Kazuma Okamoto launched his biggest home run to date in a Blue Jays uniform. Okamoto slugged an 0-2 fastball from Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan 390 feet into the left field seats to give the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead.

OKAMOTO FOR THE LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/Rv4KjxiHh3

— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) September 15, 2026

Okamoto is now up to 33 home runs during his rookie campaign, the most in a single season by a Japanese-born right-handed hitter and has driven in 88 runs, building on his already set franchise rookie RBI record.

The Tigers immediately answered back with a run of their own in the top of the eighth. After Kevin McGonigle and Riley Greene both roped singles off Joe Mantiply, manager John Schneider turned to Varland with one out in the eighth.

Varland retired Dillon Dingler on a strikeout with runners on first and third but with two outs, Brett Callahan dumped a single down the left field line to bring home McGonigle to knot the game up at 5-5.

George Springer worked a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth but Kenley Jansen was able to shut the door for his 20th save of the season.

The Blue Jays will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they use Braydon Fisher as an opener. Drew Anderson starts for the Tigers.

First pitch is 7:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre.

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September 14 Gameday: Blue Jays turn to José Soriano in series opener against Detroit Tigers

Aidan Sinclair — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:40:34 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays are officially in their stretch run. Less than two weeks of regular-season play left to decide whether or not they make the final Wild Card spot in the American League.

After dropping the first of a three-game set to the Orioles Friday, the Blue Jays responded hugely over the next two days, putting up 15 runs on 21 hits. Arguably the most important swing was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first home run at Rogers Centre this season on Sunday, as part of a 4-for-5 performance.

It has been known all season that if Guerrero can get his bat going consistently, this team has a chance to compete in the postseason. He is now batting .333 with an .898 OPS in September and has the support of many other productive bats surrounding him. Kazuma Okamoto now has 32 home runs on the season and 85 RBI, good for the Blue Jays rookie record. George Springer collected six hits over the weekend and Brett Bateman launched his first two career big-league home runs. With 12 games left, the offence will need to continue to assist an ailing pitching staff that is running on fumes.

The Cleveland Guardians did Toronto no favours over the weekend, taking a series from the Minnesota Twins, meaning the Jays remain one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League, while holding the tie-breaker with Cleveland. With a 75-75 record and a proven ability to score in bunches as shown against Baltimore, Toronto will need to continue hitting if they want to have a chance of playing in October.

José Soriano gets the ball for the Blue Jays in game one of this series, coming off a strong performance in Sacramento, going seven innings and allowing two runs against the Athletics. Soriano has experienced mixed results since joining Toronto at the trade deadline, providing great length by tossing at least five innings in five of his seven starts, but has tallied five or more strikeouts in an outing just twice in that same span. He’ll look to rack up the K’s against a Tigers offence that has the second-most strikeouts in the past 15 days with 131.

On the other hand, Troy Melton gets the ball for the Detroit Tigers, looking to bounce back to form after struggling over his past four outings. Melton got off to an astonishingly strong start posting a 1.49 ERA through his first 14 starts, but has slipped to a 5.70 ERA in 23.2 innings since August 21. He’ll have another tough task tonight, going up against a Blue Jays offence that has the fifth-best OPS in the league over the past 15 days with a .791 mark.

The Blue Jays‘ lineup features five right-handed hitters: George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Kazuma Okamoto and Ernie Clement.

Lefties include: Brett Bateman, Nathan Lukes, Josh Smith and Andres Gimenez.

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 7:07 p.m. ET

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet One, SN590

Starting Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays – José Soriano: 12-7 record, 3.48 ERA, 163 IP, 154 SO, 71 BB

Detroit Tigers – Troy Melton: 8-4 record, 2.42 ERA, 108 IP, 87 SO, 30 BB

Lineups:

Blue Jays:

Brett Bateman – CF
George Springer – DH
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
Alejandro Kirk – C
Nathan Lukes – RF
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Andrés Giménez – SS
Josh Smith – LF
Ernie Clement – 2B

Tigers:

Kevin McGonigle – SS
Gleyber Torres – 2B
Colt Keith – 3B
Riley Greene – DH
Dillon Dingler – C
Brett Callahan – LF
Max Clark – CF
Spencer Torkelson – 1B
Zach McKinstry – RF

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Yesavage targeting 40-45 pitches in Triple-A rehab start, Santander’s rehab assignment continuing through this week, Bieber to throw first side session and more Blue Jays injury updates

Thomas Hall — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 22:00:28 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced plans for Trey Yesavage’s Triple-A rehab start on Tuesday.

Yesavage (left knee) will be aiming for 40-45 pitches across three innings when he starts for Buffalo, a slight increase from the 30-pitch live BP he threw at the PDC on Thursday. It’ll serve as his first game since departing the Aug. 4 outing in Houston after two innings.

More than anything, the Blue Jays want to ensure the 23-year-old is fully recovered after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Don’t pay any attention to his pitching line. Health will trump everything else.

“Just seeing his stuff be normal,” manager John Schneider said Monday afternoon. “I don’t really care about results. We know what he can do here. Just make sure that he comes out of it feeling physically good.”

Assuming all goes well, Yesavage will likely return from the injured list next week, either Sunday in Texas or Monday in Baltimore. Based on how Toronto’s rotation is currently set up, another bullpen day is slated to fall during the series opener against the Orioles, the most probable landing spot for Yesavage’s return.

Here are other injury updates from Schneider’s media availability:

Anthony Santander to remain with Buffalo through this week

After suiting up in a pair of Triple-A rehab games last week, Santander’s stint with Buffalo is expected to continue through the entirety of this week, according to Schneider. The rehabbing slugger was slated to play in the second half of the Bisons’ doubleheader in Charlotte over the weekend, but the game was cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

That means Santander will remain at Triple-A through Buffalo’s regular-season finale on Sunday, pushing his potential major league return until the season’s final week at the earliest.

“Super perfect scenario is he gets enough at-bats. He’s hitting the ball hard. He’s hitting some home runs, and he’s playing the outfield,” Schneider said about Santander.

The Blue Jays are leaving the door open for Santander to force his way back up here. But that’s far from a certainty at this point. It’s firmly TBD. Report back in a week.

Shane Bieber scheduled for mound work

For the first time since hitting the IL with a teres major strain, Bieber will throw off a mound Tuesday during a side session at the Rogers Centre. He’s previously been limited to playing catch from varying distances of 90 and 120 feet.

This is an important step for Bieber, who last started on Aug. 20, but he’s quickly running out of runway to return before the regular season’s end. With Buffalo’s schedule ending Sunday, his best route might be to stay in Toronto during the team’s final road trip of 2026 through Texas and Baltimore, allowing him to throw another side/bullpen session and face live hitters.

It’s still possible that Bieber could return in a bulk role, possibly during that final series against the Cincinnati Reds. However, this may soon turn into a returning-for-the-post-season discussion.

Club hopes minimum IL stint for Rudy Martin Jr.

An unfortunate blow arrived Monday afternoon for rookie Rudy Martin Jr., who landed on the 10-day IL with a left hamstring strain just two games into his big-league career. Schneider revealed that he suffered the injury on a play in the outfield on Saturday and then reaggravated the ailment during pre-game running drills Sunday.

The hope is that this will be a brief stint for the 30-year-old outfielder, who spent 12 years in the minors before making his long-awaited MLB debut in Toronto as a pinch-runner on Friday.

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Arizona Diamondbacks claim Jesús Sánchez off waivers

Michael Coyle — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:32:15 GMT

Jesús Sánchez has quickly found himself a new home.

On Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that outfielder Jesús Sánchez has been claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Blue Jays designated Sánchez for assignment last Friday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Rudy Martin Jr.

After being acquired by the Blue Jays from the Houston Astros in February in exchange for Joey Loperfido, Sánchez appeared in 99 games with the club and batted .260 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs.

The 28-year-old got red hot once the calendar flipped to May, having batted .329 with two home runs and 13 RBIs, but following a right ankle sprain in June that cost Sánchez over a month, his bat never returned to the expected level.

Upon returning from injury on July 31, Sánchez went 11-for-54, a .203 average with only one home run and six RBIs. When you take those numbers, coupled with the poor defence Sánchez displayed throughout much of his time in Toronto, the Blue Jays were left with no choice but to move on.

ROSTER MOVE:

🔹 OF Jesús Sánchez has been claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks pic.twitter.com/Br1ca8JEqB

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 14, 2026

Sánchez is set to return to the National League, where he spent the first five-and-a-half years of his career, as a member of the Miami Marlins. Sánchez was moved to the Astros at the 2025 MLB trade deadline before his off-season move to Toronto.

After designating Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment on Sunday, the Diamondbacks can take on Sánchez’s contract as they try to sneak their way into the NL’s final Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks currently find themselves sitting at 79-71, 2.5 games back of the San Diego Padres for the last seed.

For his career, Sánchez has appeared in 679 games with the Marlins, Astros and Blue Jays. The outfielder is a career .242 hitter with 81 home runs and 273 RBIs across 2,134 at-bats.

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Blue Jays recall Davis Schneider, Brendan Cellucci, place Rudy Martin Jr. on IL and option Ricky Tiedemann to Triple-A Buffalo

Michael Coyle — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:02:16 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays are being forced to shuffle their roster again.

On Monday, before the series opener against the Detroit Tigers, the Blue Jays announced they recalled both Davis Schneider and Brendan Cellucci from Triple-A Buffalo and both would be active for tonight’s contest.

Schneider has appeared in 62 games with the Blue Jays this season, batting .142 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. The 27-year-old has reached base at a .295 clip and brings power upside to the Blue Jays’ bench.

While much of his time in the majors has been a struggle this season, Schneider has blasted three home runs in his past four games with the Bisons. As the Blue Jays sit 26th in the big leagues with 147 home runs, they can use all the help they can get.

Cellucci returns to the Blue Jays’ roster after originally having his contract selected on August 19. The 28-year-old has yet to make his MLB debut. Through 45 games with the Bisons this season, the left-hander is 6-2 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

The former 12th-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2019 has struck out 55 batters across 51.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a .242 average.

ROSTER MOVES:

🔹 LHP Brendan Cellucci and INF/OF Davis Schneider recalled from Triple-A and will be active tonight

🔹 LHP Ricky Tiedemann optioned to Triple-A

🔹 OF Rudy Martin Jr. (left hamstring strain) placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to September 13 pic.twitter.com/oVleDPE3ON

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 14, 2026

In corresponding moves, the Blue Jays placed Rudy Martin Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain and optioned Ricky Tiedemann to Triple-A.

Martin was called up on Friday after 12 seasons in the minor leagues. The 30-year-old was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 25th round of the 2014 MLB Draft and finally received the call to the majors last week.

The outfielder pinch-ran during last Friday’s 7-4 loss against the Baltimore Orioles before receiving his first major-league start in left field the following day. During that contest, Martin went 0-for-2 with a walk.

Through 27 games with the Bisons this season, Martin is batting .253 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Martin has turned in an on-base percentage of .351 and stolen 12 bases in 13 attempts.

Tiedemann heads back to Buffalo after working in two games during the series against the Orioles and throwing 44 pitches. Through five games with the Blue Jays this season, the left-hander has turned in a 1.50 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP.

The left-hander has struck out eight batters across six innings and held opponents to a .227 average. Walks have been a concern for the 24-year-old, as he has issued six free passes during this span.

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Blue Jays: The curious case of Josh Smith

Tyson Shushkewich — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 19:30:14 GMT

At the 2026 trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays made some pretty interesting moves.

What seemed like a sell-off with the Kevin Gausman trade to the Cubs quickly pivoted when the Jays traded for Angels starter Jose Soriano, giving the impression that Toronto wasn’t throwing in the towel but was making some moves with the future in mind. Gausman is free agent eligible after this season (and lightly kicked the tires on retiring) while Soriano is under contract through 2028, which bears some significant importance considering there is a potential lockout on the horizon.

The Jays also made a small move in acquiring utility player Josh Smith and RHP Josh Stephan from the Texas Rangers, sending left-hander Adam Macko the other way. This deal didn’t make a ton of sense off the hop, considering Macko was a left-handed reliever (which the Jays needed), and despite a woeful July spell, he had been stellar through his first two months of big league baseball, while also being the casualty of the business side of the game when it came to the roster crunch and having to ride the options bus.

Stephan is chugging away in the minor leagues as a depth arm, but Smith has some interesting qualities. The Louisiana product can play numerous positions on the field and is a versatile bench guy with four years of experience coming into this season. Similar to Soriano, he’s not free agent eligible until after the 2028 season. However, Smith wasn’t really satisfying a need at first glance.

There’s a fair argument that the Jays didn’t need another guy on the bench who could play multiple positions; the current roster had enough backfill that if Player A couldn’t go at the position, they had someone who could cover it for a night off. They also had a few prospects who had earned a shot at some big league time, such as Sean Keys, Charles McAdoo, and newcomer Brett Bateman, and some guys with something to prove in Davis Schneider and Myles Straw, who could fill in as well. Truth be told, the Jays needed some power to their lineup with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. struggling to find the home runs and with George Springer struggling to find his 2025 form. The Jays needed someone to complement Kazuma Okamoto in the lineup to provide that extra thunder at the plate.

Josh Smith in 20 games with the Blue Jays:

10-37 | 5 HR | 1.053 OPS 🍁

An excellent addition so far for Toronto! pic.twitter.com/RmCjTUgZdz

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 9, 2026

Smith didn’t necessarily fit that bill. His highest single-season home run total was back in 2024 with 13 knocks, and entering this season, he boasted a .236/.327/.680 slash line with a 97 OPS+. For 2026, he was struggling with the Rangers as well, amassing a .571 OPS and a .272 SLG through 136 at-bats while spending time on the IL and also being optioned back to Triple-A on a couple of occasions.

However, since joining Toronto, Smith has been bucking his past trends.

Through 45 at-bats, he’s already collected five home runs and seven RBIs, one off his total from his time with the Rangers earlier this year, and owns a .370 OBP and a .600 SLG for his efforts. A hamstring injury sent him to the sidelines for ten days in late August, but when Smith is healthy, his bat has been contributing on the diamond for the Blue Jays. He’s put up a 0.6 bWAR for Toronto while playing in left field, third base, and second base for the Jays and for September, he’s put up a .294/.435/.824 slash line with four walks and seven strikeouts.

The sample size is small, so there’s no guarantee (nor should it be banked) that this version of Josh Smith is what Jays’ fans can expect from him over the next two seasons. But the reality is that the club need to be putting their hottest bats on the field right now with a Wild Card spot on the horizon, and Smith is finding ways to put the ball in play and put the ball over the wall, against his historical hitting profile. It’s one of the reasons the Jays likely felt a bit better letting Jesus Sanchez go, considering Smith is providing more upside at the plate compared to the former Astros left-handed bat. Having

The trade didn’t make a ton of sense at the time, but if Smith can continue to find ways to put forward meaningful at-bats or come off the bench late in games and be the versatile defender with some pop from the left side, he could be a difference maker in the close games.

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Trey Yesavage to start in rehab game Tuesday, could rejoin Blue Jays in Baltimore

Matthew Spagnuolo — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:52:16 GMT

The reinforcements cannot come soon enough.

The Toronto Blue Jays are optimistic that Trey Yesavage is set to pitch in a rehab game in Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday night, with the hopes the organization could activate him off the 15-day injured list prior to next week’s series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Yesavage last pitched in the majors back on August 4 against the Houston Astros, before abruptly being taken out of the game due to discomfort in his left knee. The injury later turned out to a torn meniscus, for which he had surgery for back on September 4. Sunday saw Yesavage throw a 30-pitch bullpen at Rogers Centre ahead of Sundays game against Baltimore, and the plan is for him to pitch on Tuesday night for the Buffalo Bisons against the Rochester Red Wings. The plan per Blue Jays manager John Schneider, is that Yesavage gets up to 40 to 50 pitches on the outing, before the team decides if and when he is to return to the big leagues.

With 12 games to go in the season and the Blue Jays just a single game back of the Cleveland Guardians, the team needs every form of assistance they can get if they want to push for the postseason. Right now the starting rotation primarily consists of Dylan Cease, José Soriano and Max Scherzer, with the next two spots being more allocated to the bullpen.

While Spencer Miles has done an outstanding job of holding down the fort for the Jays wherever they ask him to pitch, other names like Spencer Arrighetti and Michael Lorenzen who are both veterans in the game are both struggling with run prevention. While Arrighetti pitched better in Saturday’s game, allowing only one run through 2.2 innings, walking two and striking out a pair, he still has recorded a 6.87 ERA over his five outings since joining the Blue Jays.

Yesavage, 23, has a 3.65 ERA across 18 games pitched this season, and having him back in the rotation is going to be key for potential October ambitions. Across his 18 starts, Yesavage is 5-5 with a 1.14 WHIP and has struck out 91 batters across his 93.2 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .185 average.

With less than two weeks left in the regular season, every game counts and this team is surely going to want to put their best foot forward if they want to chase the Guardians for the final wild card spot.

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Arizona Diamondbacks designate former Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment

Michael Coyle — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:00:55 GMT

Former Toronto Blue Jay, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could soon find himself in new colours.

On Sunday, Gurriel was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks after appearing in 51 games for the club this season.

After missing the Diamondbacks’ first 17 games of the season while recovering from right ACL surgery, Gurriel returned on April 18 for his season debut against the Blue Jays. Through his 51 games this season, Gurriel batted .210 with two home runs and 22 RBIs.

Before this season, Gurriel was a key contributor for the Diamondbacks over the previous three seasons. The 32-year-old turned in campaigns of 24, 18 and 19 home runs, while driving in at least 75 runs in each of those years.

With his Diamondbacks tenure likely over, the outfielder finishes his time in the desert by appearing in 458 games with the club and batted .257 with 63 home runs and 259 RBIs.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/0WFuVwmiSD

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 13, 2026

Gurriel was acquired by the Diamondbacks alongside catcher Gabriel Moreno on December 23 in exchange for Daulton Varsho. The move has been criticized as Moreno has become one of the better catchers in baseball and Gurriel was named an All-Star in his first season in the National League.

Signed as a free agent by the Blue Jays on November 12, 2016, Gurriel quickly became a fan favourite in Toronto. Gurriel debuted with the Blue Jays on April 20, 2018, and ended up batting .281 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs across 65 games in his rookie season.

Over his five seasons with the Blue Jays, Gurriel played 468 games and batted .285 with 68 home runs and 254 RBIs. Gurriel’s best season with the Blue Jays came during the 2021 season when he batted .276 with 21 home runs and 84 RBIs.

Due to his price tag, Gurriel is likely to clear waivers before being released by the Diamondbacks. A team looking to add a right-handed bat could opt to give Gurriel a chance to prove he still has quality play left in the tank as he is set to enter his age-33 season in 2027.

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September 13 Gameday: Dylan Cease takes the mound as Blue Jays look for series victory over Orioles

Michael Coyle — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 16:30:10 GMT

With each passing day, the stakes only rise for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Following Saturday’s 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles, coupled with the Cleveland Guardians’ loss against the Minnesota Twins, the Blue Jays sit 1.0 game back of those Guardians for the American League’s final Wild Card spot.

Currently with a one game edge over the Orioles, a win on Sunday would push their season-series record with Baltimore to 6-4 with three games remaining at Camden Yards later this month.

Looking for the series win on Sunday, the Blue Jays will turn to Dylan Cease for his 28th start of the season. Through 27 starts this year, Cease is 10-5 with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The right-hander has struck out 227 batters across 161.1 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .177 average.

Cease is coming off an outing against the Athletics that was very uncharacteristic of what Blue Jays fans have come to expect. The 30-year-old turned in a pitching line of 5.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, in what was his worst outing dating back to June 27, when Cease was charged with the loss against the Texas Rangers.

Having spent the past two seasons in the National League with the San Diego Padres, Cease hasn’t faced many of these young Orioles, but he has done well in his career against Pete Alonso. Cease has held Alonso to a .182 average with one home run and three RBIs during his at-bats.

The AL leader in RBIs with 99, Alonso displayed his power on Saturday when he launched his 35th home run of the year off reliever Paul Sewald to make it a 6-3 ballgame.

Countering Cease for the Orioles is left-hander Trevor Rogers. Through 27 starts this season, Rogers is 10-9 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Rogers has struck out 138 batters across 151.2 innings pitched and been hit at a .252 clip.

Rogers will match up with the Blue Jays for the second time this season after squaring off with them back at Camden Yards on May 29. During that outing, Rogers had cruised through six shutout frames before the wheels came off in the top of the seventh. The Blue Jays went single, home run, double, home run to make it a 5-4 game and put a dent in Rogers’ pitching line, which finished 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.

Here is how the lineups look for the series finale in Toronto:

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First pitch: 1:37 p.m. ET

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet One, SN590

Starting Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays – Dylan Cease: 10-5 record, 2.40 ERA, 161.1 IP, 227 SO, 67 BB

Baltimore Orioles – Trevor Rogers: 10-9 record, 4.15 ERA, 151.2 IP, 138 SO, 37 BB

Lineups:

Blue Jays:

Brett Bateman – RF
George Springer – DH
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Charles McAdoo – LF
Ernie Clement – 2B
Andrés Giménez – SS
Brandon Valenzuela – C
Myles Straw – CF

Orioles:

Dylan Beavers – LF
Pete Alonso – 1B
Gunnar Henderson – SS
Coby Mayo – DH
Samuel Basallo – C
Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 3B
Jackson Holliday – 2B
Leody Tavares – RF
Colton Cowser – CF

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