Blue Jays vs. Athletics Betting Odds, Predictions: Dylan Cease starting for Toronto
The only West Coast true late-night game around Major League Baseball on Monday night features the Blue Jays visiting the quite terrible and injury-ravaged Sacramento Athletics in their minor-league temporary ballpark. Behind ace Dylan Cease, Toronto is -196 on the MLB odds with a total of 8.5 runs.
MLB Betting Odds and Trends
It has to be hard to be a devout fan of the Athletics right now. Of course, the franchise just up and left Oakland after the 2024 season. The A’s will end up in Las Vegas in 2028, but they have been playing at a minor-league ballpark in Sacramento since 2025. If owner John Fisher wasn’t so reviled in Oakland, they probably would have come to an agreement with the city to stay there until the new stadium in Las Vegas was ready.
You may not see a ton of runs on Monday with Jays ace Dylan Cease on the mound, but Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park might be the second-best in terms of hitter-friendly in the majors behind Denver’s Coors Field at altitude. Always seems like winds are blowing out in Sac-Town too.
There’s just no excuse for the AL Wild-Card-hopeful Jays not to win at least two of three in this series after having success in Cleveland and Kansas City to open this season-defining nine-game trip. Toronto swept three at home to open the season vs. the Athletics.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays had a chance to sweep three in Kansas City on Sunday and get two games over .500 but fell back to break even with a 6-1 blowout loss to see a four-game winning streak snapped. George Springer, Ernie Clement and Alejandro Kirk were all out of the starting lineup simply for rest. That knocked the Jays out of AL playoff position, now one game out of the final Wild-Card spot held by Cleveland. But Toronto owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Guardians.
Monday on the mound, it’s ace Dylan Cease – he’s currently the +195 second-favourite for the AL Cy Young Award behind the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler (-300). Cease (10-5, 2.25 ERA) has won three straight outings, allowing just two earned runs and 10 hits over 18.2 innings, and all against teams a lot better than the Athletics. Cease took a no-decision against them on March 28, allowing a run over 5.1 innings. Toronto is 4-0 in its past four vs. the AL West.
Athletics
The Athletics have been just crushed by season-ending injuries led by All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers (he might make it back, but I’m not sure what the point would be), Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz and starting pitcher Luis Severino.
No wonder this team is 30 games under .500 and battling the Angels and Rockies for MLB’s worst record. The A’s pretty much did kill any chances Seattle had of earning an AL Wild-Card spot over the weekend, though, by taking three of four at home vs. the Mariners.
On the mound Monday it’s Jacob Lopez (6-4, 4.71 ERA). He has been quite good of late for his squad, not allowing more than two earned runs over his past 10 outings with a 2.28 ERA in 51.1 innings in that stretch. Lopez hasn’t personally lost since July 19 vs. Washington. He didn’t pitch in that first Toronto series. Ernie Clement is 2-for-4 career off him with a homer and double.
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