The Toronto Blue Jays pulled off a blockbuster move at the trade deadline to acquire Jose Soriano.
Toronto is beginning a three-game road series against the Texas Rangers on the road on Friday. The Blue Jays have 9 games left and are 2 games back of a Wild Card spot.
The Blue Jays will start Dylan Cease on Friday, with Jose Soriano getting the ball on Saturday.
Dylan Cease Comments on Jose Soriano
Before the Blue Jays began their three-game series against the Rangers, Cease was asked about Soriano.
Soriano and Cease have formed a two-headed monster atop the Blue Jays rotation. With the Blue Jays, Soriano has had success, and Cease admits he’s impressed with him and his stuff.
“Soriano will step up. He’s nasty. He sits upper 90s with a bowling ball sinker and nasty off-speed, so every time he takes the ball, I feel really good about it,” Cease said, via Casino.org. “Anyone that takes the ball now will be a difference maker and has a chance to be a difference maker. Everyone in the team knows where we’re at. Everyone knows that every pitch is important, that every game is important, so we’ll see who steps up and how it all plays out.”
With the Blue Jays, Soriano is 3-1 with a 4.27 ERA in 8 starts. Although the numbers aren’t as dominant as Toronto may want, he is still an impact pitcher for the team.
Toronto Blue Jays Right Now
The Blue Jays enter their road series against the Rangers 2 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot.
Toronto is also tied with the Rangers, so this series is pivotal and Cease said the Blue Jays remain confident in their group.
“I think we feel great,” Cease said. “We don’t ever go into any game or any series not expecting to do well. We have been playing well in the second half of the season and I believe we’ve had a lot of improvement in our play. We’ve genuinely played good baseball, so I think we’re staying level-headed and we know what we’ve got to do. We can still make the playoffs. I think that you have to have that mindset. You have to have that belief. It doesn’t pay to be pessimistic.
“We’re going out every day and we’re fighting hard, and to be honest with you, we feel like we’ve fought hard all year. It obviously hasn’t been our year in a lot of ways, and we haven’t done what we needed to do and want to do for a lot of the season, but the fact that we’re still in it and we’re still close really says it all. We’re all just taking it day by day and continuing to not give up that fight. Of course, if we win the series it’s going to put us in a way better position than not. I truly mean I’m going to treat every single game the same the rest of the way. Every single game that you ever play is a must-win for us.”
The Blue Jays are 76-77.
Blue Jays Ace Dylan Cease Drops Honest Comment on Jose Soriano During Rangers Series