The Toronto Blue Jays close out their Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre with a 1:37 PM ET start against the Baltimore Orioles on September 13, 2026. Dylan Cease gets the ball for Toronto, squaring off against Baltimore left-hander Trevor Rogers in what shapes up as an intriguing pitching matchup. With the AL East always competitive this deep into September, every game between these two division rivals carries genuine weight. Catch it on Sportsnet or SN590 THE FAN if you can't make it to the ballpark.
Pitching Matchup: Dylan Cease vs. Trevor Rogers
Cease is the headliner here. The right-hander has established himself as Toronto's go-to arm at the top of the rotation, and a Sunday afternoon Rogers Centre start against a divisional opponent is exactly the kind of assignment built for him. His stuff — a hard fastball paired with one of the more wipeout sliders in the American League — gives the Jays a genuine advantage when he's locked in.
Rogers comes over from the Baltimore side as a left-handed starter who can keep lineups off-balance with his pitch mix. The Jays will need to be disciplined early, work counts, and avoid getting themselves out against a southpaw who lives on weak contact when he's on his game.
Keys to Watch for the Blue Jays
- Cease's command: When Cease locates his fastball to set up the slider, he's at his most dangerous. Watch whether he's dotting the corners early — that will set the tone for his entire outing.
- Lineup approach against Rogers: Left-handed hitters in the Toronto lineup will face some uncomfortable angles from Rogers. How the Jays manufacture early traffic and avoid the strikeout will go a long way toward determining the offensive output.
- Bullpen availability: September baseball means rosters are expanded and options are plentiful. How Toronto's manager deploys the back end of the bullpen — and when he hands the game over from Cease — is worth tracking closely.
- Orioles' power threats: Baltimore has the lineup depth to punish any mistake over the middle of the plate. Cease will need to keep the ball down and avoid leaving his slider up in hitter-friendly counts.
Prediction
This one hinges on Cease. When he's right, Toronto is genuinely difficult to beat, and a home start in front of the Rogers Centre crowd in September is a spot where he's shown he can rise. Rogers is a capable pitcher, but the Jays have the edge in this matchup at the top of the rotation. Expect a tight, well-pitched game — and expect Toronto to find enough offensively to come away with a Sunday afternoon win. Jays 3, Orioles 2.
