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Series Preview: Blue Jays host the Red Sox for three games in first American League East series of 2026
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 27, 2026, 16:45 EDTUpdated: Apr 27, 2026, 16:42 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are starting to pick up some momentum.
There was a span of six consecutive series loss following their 3-0 start to the season. Their final series loss in that span was to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the offence exploded for 10 runs in the series finale, eight of which came in the first inning. Since that game, the Blue Jays are 5-2, taking two of three from both the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians.
The quality of their at-bats are just better as well.  Over the past week or so, they’ve begun to do stuff that made them so successful in 2025. Whether it’s string key hits together, like in the series finale against the Diamondbacks, winning by small ball, overcoming late leads, or hitting with runners in scoring, there are a lot of positives to take away from the past week.
Even their pitching has been better, at least kind of. Max Scherzer’s start on Friday wasn’t great, and he’ll head to the injured list for at least two weeks. Their other loss came because of an exhausted bullpen, forcing Tommy Nance out there in a tie game in the series finale against the Angels. Aside from that, their pitching has been solid.
Since last Sunday, the Blue Jays are slashing .280/.328/.432 for a 108 wRC+. That isn’t terrific by any means, but it’s been better than their average throughout the season and sits in the middle of the pack stacked up against the rest of Major League Baseball. However, they still aren’t hitting for much power, as their six home runs are tied for the seventh-fewest in that span. As a whole, their pitching staff has a 4.06 ERA, 11th-best in MLB since last Sunday, with a 3.71 FIP, the sixth-best.
Things are turning around for the team, especially since players are starting to get healthy. Trey Yesavage will make the start on Tuesday. That said, let’s take a look at what the Boston Red Sox, their opponent for three games, are up to this season.

Examining the Red Sox

With an 11-17 record, the Red Sox sit dead last in the American League East, a game and a half behind the Blue Jays. They’ve won their last two games, but fired a bunch of members of their coaching staff following a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. So simply put, it hasn’t been great for the Red Sox.
So far this season, their offence has a .233/.313/357 slash line, with a 9 BB% and 22.3 K% for a 84 wRC+. That is third-lowest wRC+ in the league, only better than the Philadelphia Phillies’ 83 wRC+ and the New York Mets’ 79 wRC+. The Blue Jays haven’t seen a lot of home runs this season, but it’s been even worse for the Red Sox, as their 19 home runs are tied for the fewest in the league.
Starting pitching has been rough for the Red Sox this season. Their starters have a 4.96 ERA, fourth-worst in Major League Baseball, while their 4.89 FIP is fifth-worst. Red Sox starters have given up 24 home runs, tied for the most in MLB, though they have 11 quality starts, tied for seventh-most.
Relief pitching has been a bright spot for the Red Sox. Heading into the three-game series, their relievers have a 3.63 ERA, ninth-best, but a 4.32 FIP, 12th-worst.

One player to watch: Garrett Whitlock

There are a few candidates for their player to watch, but I chose reliever Garrett Whitlock. Serving as the team’s setup man, Whitlock has a 2.70 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 10 innings pitched this season. That’s down from a 2.25 ERA and 2.18 FIP in 2025.
Whitlock has a 31 K%, second for Red Sox relievers behind Greg Weissert. The setup man features a great slider that’s paired with a mid-90s fastball. That said, he’s given up a fair share of hard-hit balls and doesn’t generate a ton of whiffs this season. Additionally, Whitlock’s BB% sits at 11.9%.
If the Jays are down late in a game, they need to get to Whitlock, as Aroldis Chapman has been dominant once again. That’s easier said than done, as Whitlock has a career 2.57 ERA in 21 innings pitched against the Jays. His 2.57 ERA against the Blue Jays is the fourth-best against any team he’s thrown 10 or more innings against.

Quick Hits

  • Aroldis Chapman has been even more dominant than he was last season. So far through nine outing, Chapman has a 1.04 ERA and 2.20 FIP in 8.2 innings pitched, down from his 1.17 ERA in 2025. Also down is the left-handed reliever’s K%, dropping from 37.3% in 2025 to 30.3% in 2026, while his BB% has risen to 9.1%.
  • Payton Tolle made his season debut against the Yankees four days ago, going six one-run innings with 11 strikeouts. He’ll start on Tuesday, preceded by Ranger Suárez on Monday and Brayan Bello on Wednesday. The Blue Jays will avoid Garrett Crochet, who has a 6.30 ERA in his six starts.
  • On the hitting side of things, Willson Contreras has been their best hitter. His six home runs rank first on the team, as does his 131 wRC+. That said, there’s a lot of swing and miss in his game, as he has a 29.6 K%. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela are two dangerous hitters as well
  • Isiah Kiner-Falefa will make his return to Rogers Centre for the first time since being unable to score the World Series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth in Game 7. The utility infielder is off to a tough start in his first season as a Red Sox.
  • Before the game, the Blue Jays announced that Max Scherzer has been placed one the 15-day injured list. He was set to start Wednesday’s game, which means that it now becomes a bullpen day, featuring Eric Lauer and a few others.
  • The good news is that Trey Yesavage will make his season debut on Tuesday. His rehab starts didn’t go great, but he’s shown what he can do at the major league level.
  • Dylan Cease will start Monday’s game, and he needs to find a way to pitch deep into this game with the looming bullpen day.
  • It took until the end of April, but this is the first time in 2026 that the Blue Jays will play an American League East opponent.

Probable pitchers

Monday: Dylan Cease/Ranger Suárez
Tuesday: Trey Yesavage/Payton Tolle
Wednesday: TBD/Brayan Bello

Game times

Monday: 7:07 PM ET
Tuesday 7:07 PM ET
Wednesday 3:07 PM ET
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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