Riding high from their late rally past the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays will hope some of that momentum carries over.
They’ll take the field Sunday (Sportsnet, 2:20 p.m. ET / 11:20 a.m. PT) for the rubber match against the Cubs as they look for their second straight series win and a return to a .500 record.
Taking the mound for the Blue Jays (38-39) will be Dylan Cease, who’s been their best pitcher this season as he leads the American League with 110 strikeouts.
Cease is coming off a solid outing in Boston on Tuesday, earning the win after pitching five innings of shutout ball while striking out seven and walking four. That result brought his season-long ERA to 2.71, with a 1.192 WHIP.
That walk number will be something to watch for against the Cubs (40-37), as Cease has never been vaunted for his ability to prevent free passes, and Chicago has made its money getting on base, leading MLB with 338 free passes.
In the first two games of the series — a 16-2 win on Friday and an 8-6 loss on Saturday — the Cubs have taken their time with their at-bats, drawing 18 walks combined.
A strong start from Cease would be doubly beneficial for the Blue Jays, who have leaned heavily on their bullpen this series. Friday’s blowout loss forced the usually reliable Kevin Gausman out of the game after only six outs, while Patrick Corbin lasted only 3.2 innings in Saturday’s win. Lazaro Estrada carried the load with 2.1 innings of work out of the bullpen, and Louis Varland pitched two innings to earn his 15th save of the season.
What would benefit the Blue Jays even more, however, is a continued power surge. Toronto saved its comeback for late on Saturday, with Daulton Varsho sparking the rally with a three-run blast in the seventh inning in his return after more than a week sidelined with a wrist injury.
Then, in the following inning, the Blue Jays nearly batted around the order as they plated five runs, capped by a three-run shot from Kazuma Okamoto — his 16th of the year — to take the lead after being down 5-0 heading into the seventh.
Attempting to stymy Toronto’s momentum will be Shota Imanaga, who heads into Sunday’s showdown with a 4.26 ERA and 1.062 WHIP.
The 32-year-old Japanese lefty has struggled mightily with the longball this season, with a 1.8 HR/9 over his 15 starts. Though he hasn’t been tagged for a home run in his last two starts, he gave up 10 combined in the three previous.
Imanaga has only made one start in his three-year MLB career against the Blue Jays in 2024, when he gave up one run — a homer to Joey Loperfido — and struck out six in a 1-0 loss.