Blue Jays Continue Wild Card Chase With Showdown in Baltimore

Toronto’s World Series odds are hovering around +1800, with Baltimore at +1000 and Tampa Bay at +1100. While the window is closing on Toronto’s chances of claiming their sixth American League East title in franchise history, John Schneider’s squad finds itself in the thick of a tightly contested Wild Card race. 

In fact, claiming the final Wild Card spot could prove advantageous come the postseason, as it likely pairs them against the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins — the only team in their division with a winning record and currently with fewer victories than Toronto.

To punch their ticket to the postseason and stave off clubs like the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox, Toronto needs to solve the Rubik’s Cube that has been the Baltimore Orioles in 2023.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles 2023 Head-To-Head Record

Toronto is 2-8 against Baltimore this year as the teams head into their final season series inside Camden Yards on Tuesday night.

This year marks the first time Toronto hasn’t won the season series since 2017, and from 2018-22, the Jays posted a staggering 57-29 mark against their AL East nemesis.

Jays vs. Orioles Series Preview

Yusei Kikuchi is the probable pitcher for the series opener, and he’ll look to tame the O’s sizzling bats that have averaged six runs per game in the series so far, including 13 runs on Aug. 1 and 11 runs on June 6. Baltimore’s bats have slugged 110 hits, 60 runs, 14 homers, and a .298 batting average compared to Toronto’s stat line of 81 base knocks, 31 runs, 10 long balls, and a .237 average at the plate.

There’s also something to be said about bad luck. During the team’s first series in May, the Jays lost a 6-5, 10-inning heartbreaker when third baseman Matt Chapman’s throw off Austin Hays’ grounder smacked Ryan Mountcastle in the back as he approached home plate.

The O’s won again in extra innings the following day to complete the series sweep.

Despite their struggles against the O’s, Jays fans have plenty of reason to feel hopeful this week. Six different Jays’ players have had multi-home runs games against Baltimore — most recently Danny Jansen on June 15.

Danny Jansen already has two homers for the Jays today! pic.twitter.com/R6aoeSNYGP

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 15, 2023

Overall, Toronto has a slightly better batting average, nearly identical number of home runs, and a better team ERA than the American League East leaders.  

In the second game, the Blue Jays will send AL Cy Young candidate Kevin Gausman to the mound, who ranks near or at the top of the American League for earned run average, strikeouts, and quality starts.

Toronto Blue Jays Playoff Outlook

Toronto has 11 series remaining when they leave Maryland on Thursday. The following five feature a Charmin-soft slate of sub-.500 squads in Cleveland, followed by a quartet of cellar-dwellers in Washington, Colorado, Oakland, and Kansas City. 

With only playoff-hungry teams like Texas, Boston, Tampa Bay, and the New York Yankees on the schedule afterward, a series win in Baltimore is all the more important.

And while it’s dangerous to look ahead with so much at stake in the present, a deep playoff run could pit the Jays against the O’s for the first time since their only postseason matchup in 2016 when Edwin Encarnacion’s extra-innings three-run blast off Ubaldo Jimenez sent them to the ALDS.