Jays-O's Monday: Winner Stays Alive in AL Wild-Card Race — SkimNews
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- Toronto Blue Jays (77-79) face the Baltimore Orioles (75-81) Monday at 6:35 p.m. ET, and the loser can 'pretty much forget about extra baseball' in the AL wild-card race
- Dylan Cease, a likely top-two AL Cy Young finisher, will miss his scheduled Wednesday start due to shoulder discomfort requiring an MRI and may not pitch again unless there's a must-win game
- Trey Yesavage returns from the knee injured list for his first MLB outing since Aug. 4, but is capped at roughly three innings and 40–50 pitches after a 34-pitch rehab start
- Shane Baz (6-15, 4.11 ERA) starts for Baltimore, tied for the MLB lead in losses, receiving just 3.35 runs of support per nine innings — third-fewest in the majors
- Felix Bautista was activated from the injured list Saturday and pitched Sunday for the first time since July 20, 2025, following right shoulder surgery
- The White Sox are +110 favorites for the No. 6 seed, with the Blue Jays at +1800 and Orioles at +10000; the SportsLine model projects Toronto winning 4.2–4.0
Why it matters: Toronto's already-narrow path to the wild card (implied at +1800 odds) just narrowed further with Cease shut down mid-week and his replacement on a hard pitch count, shifting real-game probability toward a Baltimore team that still trails the season series 4–6 despite being at home.
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