MLB Baseball
2026-09-02 - Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Guardians
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : Major League Baseball
Wednesday 2nd September 2026 - Scheduled 6:40pm EST
11:40pm (British Time)
Preview
Series played in September take on added importance and some are going to feel like they are being played under Playoff conditions, even if that is not completely the case. This one between the Toronto Blue Jays (68-71) and Cleveland Guardians (70-68) feels really important with both teams amongst the Wild Card mix, although the latter will still have real ambitions of winning the Division in which they are competing.
Tie-breakers can be crucial in tight races and if either team wins the next two games, they will hold that advantage. The Cleveland Guardians took the opener on Tuesday to tie up the season series at 2-2, but most importantly they have taken a 2.5 game lead over the Blue Jays in the final Wild Card spot, albeit with two teams between them in the current Wild Card standings.
Turning too much attention to the Playoff picture would be a mistake in early September and it is just crucial for both teams to keep putting the wins together.
Cleveland have been doing that having won eight of the last ten games and being able to snap Toronto's three game winning run will feel like a bonus.
The Guardians will give the ball to Joey Cantillo to build on the opening success and the pitcher has a 9-7 record and 3.70 ERA in his twenty-eight starts made in 2026. The last six starts may have ended with a 1-1 record, but Joey Cantillo has a 2.36 ERA and he allowed two runs in 6 Innings thrown most recently.
Earlier this season, Cantillo only allowed one earned run against the Toronto Blue Jays in 5 Innings thrown, but was still handed the decision loss thanks to errors in the field.
The Blue Jays will go with Dylan Cease in the bid to level up this latest series and the big money signing has a 9-5 record and 2.33 ERA in his twenty-five starts.
Dylan Cease is unbeaten in his last seven starts for the Blue Jays and has a 3-0 record thanks to consecutive decision wins. The 1.57 ERA during that run has given Toronto every chance to close on the top three places in the Wild Card race, but the Blue Jays need to show more consistency.
The last time Dylan Cease faced the Cleveland Guardians saw him hold them to a single run into the 7th Inning and pick up the decision win while a member of the San Diego Padres in 2025.
Prediction
Both starting pitchers are playing very well and both teams have found some positive momentum, which makes this a tough game to call.
The narrow edge is with the Toronto Blue Jays behind Dylan Cease as they look to find a way to narrow the gap to the Cleveland Guardians in this Wild Card race.
The Pick :
Cleveland Guardians 1-3 Toronto Blue Jays
