Your Seattle Mariners are officially on the Toronto Blue Jays’ radar, and not in the way you might think. Today, the Jays are duking it out with the current top wildcard Yankees. But here is the kicker: that is the *last* team above .500 Toronto plays all season long. From Tuesday on out, every single squad on their remaining schedule, including our M’s, is below the .500 mark. It is a straight-up gift for the Blue Jays and their wildcard hopes.
The Road Ahead Is Paved With Below-.500 Teams
Seriously, look at this list. After the Bronx Bombers, the Jays will go up against the Rangers (63-65), Guardians (62-66), Tigers (61-66), Reds (61-67), Orioles (twice) (61-67), and then, yep, our Seattle Mariners (60-68). They finish up with the Royals (twice) (55-74) and the lowly A’s (49-79). The Tigers might have a positive run differential, but that is a product of when Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were actually playing for them. The source says it best, Toronto is “not exactly facing murderers’ row” in this final quarter of the season. Someone has to grab that third wildcard spot, and the Jays are the only team in the hunt showing any fire to actually get it done. A solid showing today in Yankee Stadium, coupled with this shockingly easy path, could set them up for a real late-season push.
Who’s Doin’ the Slingin’ Today?
The first step in that “easy” path starts hard, though. The Jays are throwing Cam Schlittler (10-6, 2.19 ERA) on the mound. He is going up against the Yankees’ Mason Fluharty, who is opening for the recently activated Spencer Arrighetti (7-5, 4.60 ERA). The Blue Jays’ lineup today features Brett Bateman in center, Nathan Lukes in right, Alejandro Kirk behind the plate, and Jesus Sanchez as DH. On the Yankees side, Paul Goldschmidt is at first, Amed Rosario at third, and Ben Rice is the DH. Quick roster note for the Yankees, Josh Smith went to the IL with hamstring inflammation, and Brendan Cellucci was optioned, opening spots for Arrighetti and Davis Schneider.
Around the League, Fellas Are Hangin’ Up Their Cleats
In other news, a couple of familiar names decided to call it a career today. Former Blue Jay Jon Berti officially hung up his cleats. He was an 18th-round pick way back in 2011, took seven years to get to the big club, and after a cup of coffee, he was shipped off. Turns out, he carved out a pretty solid career in Miami, playing decent defense all over the field and swiping a ton of bags, even leading the majors with 41 in 2022 when he was 32 years old. He finished with a .256/.333/.357 slash line over eight seasons, posting 6.5 fWAR in 1731 plate appearances. Didi Gregorious also retired today, so the league just feels a little less classy without an actual knight on the field. Oh, and Dylan Cease is exhibiting a painting at the AGO. Hey, cool hobby, but let’s be real, it is probably good that baseball worked out for ol’ Dylan as a day job!
So while Toronto tries to grab a wildcard spot against the Yanks today, we will be keeping a close eye on their “cakewalk” schedule, especially for when our M’s are on deck. That series is where our boys in teal can absolutely throw a wrench into those wildcard dreams. Go M’s!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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