The Toronto Blue Jays are prioritizing rest for their ace.
Toronto will stick to a five-man turn and start Dylan Cease on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, and Spencer Arrighetti will either start or serve as the bulk guy in a bullpen day on Saturday, manager John Schneider announced.
Last week, the Blue Jays used their off day to push Cease and José Soriano forward one day so they could both pitch in a pivotal series against the Cleveland Guardians.
The tactic worked, as Toronto won both games they started, but forgoing the extra rest appears to have taken a toll on Cease. His average fastball velocity was down to a season-low 94.9 m.p.h. in his last start against the Athletics, over two ticks below his season average of 97 m.p.h.
Cease struggled in the outing, allowing four earned runs over five innings, raising his season ERA to 2.40 as he failed to control the Athletics' running game. They stole five bases on six attempts with Cease on the mound.
By giving their starters one extra day of rest, Soriano now lines up to pitch on Monday to start a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers.
The Orioles are two games behind the Blue Jays, and both teams are trailing the Guardians for the final American League wild-card spot.
Toronto is only one game behind Cleveland and holds the tiebreaker between the two teams after winning the season series. The Blue Jays lead the season series over the Orioles 4-3 and have six games remaining against their AL East rivals.
The crucial series starts Friday night with Max Scherzer facing off against former Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt. Coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
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