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August 29 Gameday: José Soriano starts as Blue Jays look to claim series victory over Mariners

Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Aug 29, 2026, 13:17 EDTUpdated: Aug 29, 2026, 13:32 EDT

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The Toronto Blue Jays just won’t go away.

Following last night’s 8-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners, in which the Blue Jays blasted three home runs, they moved to 2.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the American League’s final Wild Card spot.

With 26 games to play, the Blue Jays find themselves with a record of 66-70, but with a remaining schedule that consists of many of the teams in the hunt for that final spot, the club has a major say on the fate of the 2026 campaign.

Going for the series victory over the Mariners on Saturday, the Blue Jays will turn to José Soriano, who will be making his fifth start since being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on August 3.

Through his four starts with the Blue Jays, Soriano is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The right-hander has struck out 16 batters across his 21.1 innings pitched and has allowed opponents to hit .293 off him.

In his last start on August 23 during an 8-3 loss against the New York Yankees, Soriano struck out eight batters, the most he’s totaled in a start since joining the Blue Jays’ rotation. Like the Yankees, the Mariners sit in the top 10 for most strikeouts this season, so the 27-year-old has a chance to generate swing-and-miss this afternoon.

Soriano spent the first three and a half years of his MLB career in the AL West with the Angels, so he’s seen many of these Mariners hitters before. One player who has gotten the better of Soriano in his career is Julio Rodríguez.

Lifetime off Soriano, Rodríguez is 10-for-18, good for a .556 average with two home runs and five RBIs. This season, the 25-year-old has appeared in 124 games and is batting .247 with 20 home runs and 56 RBIs. Even with this being a down year for Rodríguez, he has owned this matchup with Soriano, and will bat third this afternoon.

Countering Soriano for the Mariners will be rookie Kade Anderson. Anderson is ranked as the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline and will be making his second career start in the big leagues after debuting on August 22 during a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

In his first start, the left-hander turned in a pitching line of 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K and threw 81 pitches while picking up a no-decision. The third overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, Anderson shot through the minors after making 18 starts in Double-A with the Arkansas Travelers and going 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP.

The 22-year-old struck out 135 batters across his 93.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a paltry .147 average during that span.

With a lefty on the mound in Anderson, the Blue Jays’ only left-handed bat in the lineup on Saturday is Brett Bateman. Bateman has excelled against left-handers through his first 17 career games, as the 24-year-old is batting .400 with five RBIs across 25 at-bats.

Here’s how the lineups look Saturday at Rogers Centre:

Location: Rogers Centre – Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 3:07 p.m. ET

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet, SN590