The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Athletics 4-2 Tuesday, getting home runs from Josh Smith and Kazuma Okamoto in the second inning. Toronto tacked on two more in the sixth, built on a string of singles and a heads-up piece of baserunning from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who advanced from first to third on a close play and later scored on a double play ball.
Jose Soriano delivered a strong outing on the mound, working seven innings and allowing just two earned runs, both on solo homers. Spencer Miles closed things out with a two-inning save, his second of the season, striking out three without allowing a run.
Now Toronto turns to a bullpen day.
Braydon Fisher Set to Start Wednesday’s Bullpen Game
Braydon Fisher will get the ball Wednesday against the A’s, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. It’s another bullpen day on both sides, with the Athletics countering with Brady Basso, who carries a 4.32 ERA and hasn’t gone more than three innings in any outing this season.
Wednesday’s game starts at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, an early afternoon matchup for both clubs leaning on their relief corps rather than a traditional starter.
Toronto’s Rotation Plans Beyond Wednesday
The bigger picture beyond Wednesday still needs sorting out, per Zwelling. Toronto plans to finalize its rotation for this weekend’s series against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday’s off day. Max Scherzer is set to start Friday. Dylan Cease and Soriano are candidates for Saturday and Sunday. Depending on how recovery goes over the next couple days, those two could instead get bumped to Sunday and Monday.
That flexibility matters given how much Toronto is leaning on its pitching depth right now. Fisher’s start Wednesday is just one piece of a larger rotation puzzle the team is working through this week.
Max Scherzer is starting on Friday. Dylan Cease and Jose Soriano could pitch Saturday and Sunday. Or they could be bumped back to Sunday and Monday. Depends on recovery in coming days.
Final Word for the Blue Jays
Tuesday’s win showed a full team effort, from timely hitting to a strong Soriano outing to a sharp defensive showing behind him. Now it’s Fisher’s turn to keep that momentum going in a bullpen role Wednesday.
With the rotation still being ironed out for this weekend, Toronto has real flexibility. That matters as the team heads into a stretch that carries more weight with every game.
Blue Jays Announce Team Decision Before Athletics Game