Blue Jays set for pivotal series against Guardians with playoffs in sight

CLEVELAND — The Toronto Blue Jays open a nine-game road trip tonight with a pivotal series against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians enter play with a 1 1/2 game lead over the Blue Jays for the third and final wild-card spot in the American League.

Cleveland, however, does have one game in hand with 25 games remaining in its regular-season schedule.

The Blue Jays are coming in on a three-game winning streak, having swept Seattle on the weekend, outscoring the Mariners 19-4 across their series.

Meanwhile, the Guardians have gone 8-2 in their last 10, but lost two of three against Kansas City. Cleveland closed out that series with an 11-1 win on Sunday.

Toronto will face Kansas City and then the Athletics after Cleveland.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2026.

The Canadian Press