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July 25 Gameday: Blue Jays turn to Dylan Cease in desperate need of win against Red Sox

Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Jul 25, 2026, 13:34 EDT

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Following last night’s 6-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays are guaranteed to be sitting under the .500 mark when the trade deadline rolls around on August 3.

With a record of 47-57 and sitting 6.5 games back of the American League’s final Wild Card spot, the Blue Jays seem destined to become sellers, a position that not many expected following last year’s run to the World Series.

In desperate need of wins, the Blue Jays will send their ace Dylan Cease to the mound for his 19th start of the season. Through his 18 outings, Cease has given the Blue Jays more than they could have hoped for when they signed him to a seven-year, $210-million contract in December.

Cease is 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across his 104.1 innings pitched. Over those 104.1 frames, Cease has struck out 155 batters, the fourth most in MLB this season, and has held opponents to a .196 average.

The right-hander has faced the Red Sox twice this season, and will be looking to repeat the success he had in his second appearance against the club. After allowing four earned runs over 5.2 innings on April 27, Cease turned in five scoreless frames en route to a 6-1 Blue Jays win on June 16.

Opposing Cease for the Red Sox will be right-hander Sonny Gray. The Red Sox acquired Gray this past November in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, and he has been nothing short of amazing. Through 18 starts, Gray is 12-1 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. Over 101.2 innings, Gray has struck out 90 batters and has held teams to a .229 average.

This will be Gray’s second time squaring off with the Blue Jays this season. In a meeting on June 18, the 36-year-old turned in a pitching line of 7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, and picked up a no-decision. During that game, Gray was tagged for home runs by both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes, so the Blue Jays are hopeful that they can find that power stroke against a pitcher who has allowed only 11 home runs this season.

In his past three games, Guerrero has gone 5-for-12 with one double and one RBI, helping raise his season numbers to a .262 average with six home runs and 42 RBIs. In his career off of Gray, Guerrero is 1-for-8, so this is a matchup that the veteran right-hander has won more than he’s lost.

Here’s how the lineups look on Saturday at Fenway Park:

Location: Fenway Park – Boston, Massachusetts

First Pitch: 4:10 PM EST

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet, SN590