Tonight, the MLB regular season takes a wild turn with what’s essentially an elimination game for two AL Wild Card hopefuls: the Toronto Blue Jays (77-79) visiting the Baltimore Orioles (75-81). Seriously, the team that loses this Monday night matchup can pretty much wave goodbye to any shot at extra baseball this year. It’s that simple, and it’s happening right now.
High Stakes, Tight Odds in Camden Yards
This isn’t just another game, it’s a pick’em. Both teams are priced at -109 in the Blue Jays vs. Orioles odds at DraftKings, and the Over/Under for total runs sits at 7.5. Fans are clearly feeling the tension, with split action on the money line showing Baltimore as a slight favorite, but a solid push on the Over 7.5. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. ET from Camden Yards. The weather won’t be doing hitters any favors, either: winds are blowing in around 8 mph and highs are only around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Every single pitch is going to matter.
The Wild Card Picture Gets Ugly for Jays and O’s
Let’s be real, both Toronto and Baltimore are already facing an uphill battle for that final AL Wild Card spot. The Chicago White Sox, who led the AL Central for most of the summer and are now second in that division, currently hold the junior circuit’s No. 6 seed by three games over Toronto and Houston. They’re also five games up on Baltimore. The Pale Hose are sitting at +110 favorites for that spot, while the Blue Jays are way out at +1800 and the Orioles a distant +10000. Baltimore’s also trailing the season series against Toronto 6-4. Tonight’s loser can almost certainly forget about October. For either team to have any real shot, winning out from here on out is likely a requirement. The Orioles, whose magic number to be eliminated is two (and that can’t even happen until Tuesday), need to pull out all the stops.
Blue Jays’ Ace Dylan Cease Is Sidelined, Threatening Toronto’s Season
As if the stakes weren’t high enough, the Blue Jays just got hit with a gut punch. Ace Dylan Cease, who’s likely to finish second in the AL Cy Young voting, will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday. Why? Shoulder discomfort that needs an MRI. He just didn’t look right in Friday’s loss to Texas, and it sounds like the only way he pitches again is in a must-win game this weekend against Cincinnati, if even then. This is a massive blow. Outside of Cease, Toronto’s rotation has been an injury-ravaged disappointment all season long. That includes Trey Yesavage, who was an AL Rookie of the Year favorite after shining late last regular season and in the playoffs, but he currently holds a 5-5 record with a 3.65 ERA. With Cease out, the Blue Jays’ road to October just got a whole lot tougher.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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