August 16 Gameday: Dylan Cease starts as Blue Jays go for series sweep
Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Aug 16, 2026, 13:29 EDTUpdated: Aug 16, 2026, 13:48 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays can sweep the New York Yankees on Sunday.
After Saturday’s 4-1 victory, the Blue Jays sit at 61-64 and sit a 0.5 game back of the Texas Rangers for the American League’s final Wild Card spot.
The Blue Jays have won six series in a row and have raised their playoff odds to 20.1% per FanGraphs, giving hope that the club can return to postseason baseball for the second straight season.
Going for the sweep, the Blue Jays will turn to right-hander Dylan Cease. Through 22 starts this season, Cease is 7-5 with a 2.40 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. The 30-year-old has struck out 191 batters over his 131.1 innings pitched, the second most in MLB, and has held opposing batters to a .182 average during that span.
One Yankee who has hit Cease well during his career is third baseman Ryan McMahon. McMahon is 6-for-14 off Cease with two home runs and five RBIs. The 2026 season has been a struggle for the 31-year-old, as he is batting only .217 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs over 103 games.
Countering Cease for the Yankees will be left-hander Ryan Weathers. Through 23 starts this season, Weathers is 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. The left-hander has struck out 136 batters across 126.2 innings pitched and has allowed opponents to hit .241.
In two starts this season against the Blue Jays, Weathers has struggled mightily. Across 9.2 innings pitched in his two starts, Weathers has allowed 12 hits and 11 runs. George Springer, who is batting fourth on Sunday, is 3-for-5 in his career off Weathers with two home runs and three RBIs.
Here’s how the lineups look in the series finale:
Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario
First Pitch: 1:37 p.m. ET
Watch/Listen: Sportsnet, SN590
Starting Pitchers
Toronto Blue Jays – Dylan Cease: 7-5 record, 2.40 ERA, 131.1 IP, 191 SO, 56 BB
New York Yankees – Ryan Weathers: 5-7 record, 3.69 ERA, 126.2 IP, 136 SO, 37 BB
Lineups:
Blue Jays:
- Brett Bateman – RF
- Charles McAdoo – 1B
- Alejandro Kirk – C
- George Springer – DH
- Ernie Clement – 2B
- Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
- Daz Cameron – LF
- Andrés Giménez – SS
- Myles Straw – CF
Yankees:
- Ben Rice – 1B
- Luis García Jr. – DH
- Heliot Ramos – LF
- Trent Grisham – CF
- Spencer Jones – RF
- George Lombard Jr. – SS
- Ryan McMahon– 3B
- Austin Wells – C
- José Caballero – 2B
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Breaking News
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