MLB Baseball
2026-08-11 - Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Tuesday 11th August 2026 - Scheduled 7:07pm EST
12:07am (British Time)
Preview
Winning the American League East is looking beyond the defending Champions Toronto Blue Jays (57-63) who are currently in the basement of the Division, while the same is looking likely for the Boston Red Sox (64-54). However, the Red Sox have put together a couple of long winning runs since the beginning of June that has placed them in a strong position to at least earn a Wild Card spot, while the Toronto Blue Jays are 3.5 games out of those positions in the American League.
Despite all of that, the Blue Jays have not given up hope of returning to the post-season and trying to go one better than last year when losing in the World Series.
They are searching for some consistency after making some interesting moves at the trade deadline, but the Blue Jays have won four of the last six after taking the opener of this series.
Toronto will hand the ball to Dylan Cease to keep some momentum going and the starting pitcher has been one of the bright spots for the team in 2026. He signed a big contract in the off-season and Dylan Cease has put together a 7-5 record and 2.28 ERA from twenty-one starts and a strong ending to the regular season could see the pitcher put a new career best ERA mark on the board.
Dylan Cease has made six starts since the beginning of July and he has a 3-1 record with a 0.84 ERA in that time.
It is a run that includes a Shutout against the Boston Red Sox when throwing all 9 Innings against them last month and Dylan Cease has now thrown 14 Innings in the last two starts against this Divisional rival without giving up a run. This is a big bounce back after allowing Boston to score four runs in just shy of 6 Innings thrown in the first start of the season against them as Dylan Cease was saddled with the decision loss.
The Boston Red Sox will be thinking about ways they can impact the Toronto starter again, but they will also be keen to snap a three game losing run. After winning fifteen games in a row to get back in contention for a Playoff spot in July, Boston had won nine more in succession before this latest losing run and it has changed the narrative around the team.
Patrick Sandoval will get the ball to start for the Red Sox and he has a 1-0 record and 3.38 ERA in five starts this season having missed the entirety of 2025.
The Red Sox have been rewarded for their patience having signed Patrick Sandoval before the start of the 2025 season and then waiting until July 2026 before he pitched for the team for the first time. He has been pretty steady on the mound and Sandoval picked up his first decision win of the season when holding the Chicago White Sox to two runs in 5 Innings thrown earlier this month.
Last month, Patrick Sandoval held the Toronto Blue Jays scoreless, but was withdrawn with two Outs recorded in the 5th Inning. He is now 0-0 with a 3.95 ERA in three career starts against Toronto.
After taking the opener, the Blue Jays have won seven of the ten meetings between these Divisional rivals in 2026.
Prediction
The two starters have both shown their worth to their respective teams, but Dylan Cease may be able to go a little longer than Patrick Sandoval.
This should help the Toronto Blue Jays at least cement a level series in this four game set as they look to close on the Wild Card spots and the home team can edge past the Boston Red Sox again.
The Pick :
Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Boston Red Sox
