The first week of the NFL season will truly get under way Sunday afternoon, and while kickoff happens across that league, first pitches will be thrown across baseball.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, they’ll look to close out their three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. It won’t be easy, however, as Chris Sale will take the mound for the opposing club, bringing with him a Cy Young calibre season in which the 35-year-old has turned back time.

Questions arose about the former Red Sox ace after he missed the 2020 season, the majority of the 2021 season, and made all of two starts in 2022. He landed in Atlanta last winter in a trade, and all he’s done is regain the form that made him a top Cy Young finalist for six consecutive years between 2012 and 2018.

Sale leads all of baseball in many categories this year, with a 2.46 EA, a 2.01 FIP, a .842 win-loss percentage, and an 11.5 K/9 rate. Simply put: it’s going to be a tough Sunday for the Blue Jays.

But the good news is that the Jays best hitter, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has had success against sale, slashing .250/,455/.625 for a 1.080 OPS, taking four walks and hitting a home run across 11 plate appearances. Look for him to lead the charge for the Jays.

First pitch: 1:35 p.m. EST.

TV & Radio: Sportsnet, SN590, TVA Sports.

Moneyline: TOR +225; ATL -275.
Spread: TOR +1.5 -100; ATL -1.5 -120.
Over/Under: o7.5 -105; u7.5 -115.

*Odds at the time of publishing. Odds subject to change.

Tune into the latest edition of Blue Jays Nation Radio as the crew talks about all the happenings in Toronto and beyond.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.