Blue Jays Visit Oakland for Game 2 of the Series as Toronto's Injury-Riddled Rotation Meets an A's Lineup Missing Half Its Everyday Names
There's no ambiguity about where these two teams sit as they open Game 2 of this three-game set. The Athletics, at 57-86, are playing out the string of a lost season, while the Blue Jays, at 72-70, are still scrapping for position with real games left that matter. That gap — a team fighting for meaningful September baseball against one already looking toward next year — is the story of this series before a pitch is thrown Tuesday night.
This is Game 2 of 3 in the series. What is clear is the larger context. Toronto comes in having won four of its last five, capped by statement wins over Cleveland — a 6-3 decision and an 11-0 blowout — sandwiched around a 9-2 throttling of Kansas City before a 1-6 stumble against Cleveland to close that stretch. The Blue Jays' offense has had stretches of real firepower, and George Springer has been at the center of it, averaging 14.1 fantasy points a game with a stretch of 14.5, 15, and 14.5 in his last three outings — as steady a floor as any hitter in this matchup.
Oakland, for its part, has actually been playing better baseball than its record suggests over the last week, ripping off four wins in five games against Seattle and Texas, including a 9-2 win over the Rangers, before a lone loss. That's a club playing loose, if not playing meaningfully, and it's worth noting for anyone watching Lawrence Butler, who's shown flashes — a 30-point fantasy outing sandwiched around quieter nights of 7.5 and 16 — and Jeff McNeil, who followed up a quiet 4.5-point game with back-to-back 34.5 and 26.5-point performances. Both are capable of carrying an offense on a given night, even one shorthanded as badly as Oakland's currently is.
And shorthanded is an understatement. The Athletics are without Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, and Shea Langeliers, among others, all sidelined — a devastating run of absences up and down the lineup that strips away several of the club's most dangerous everyday bats. Their rotation isn't spared either, with Luis Severino and Gunnar Hoglund both out. Oakland hasn't announced its starter for this one, leaving Toronto's JosĂ© Soriano, sporting a tidy 3.519 ERA, as the only confirmed arm in this matchup. That's a real advantage for a Blue Jays club that, despite its own rash of pitching injuries — Bieber, BerrĂos, Yesavage, Bloss, Francis, Ponce all unavailable — at least knows who's taking the mound.
Toronto isn't fully healthy at the plate either. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, Nathan Lukes, Jesús Sánchez, and Josh Smith are all out, forcing manager decisions that lean on depth pieces stepping into larger roles. Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez will need to pick up slack in the middle of the diamond — Clement following a quiet 4.5-point game with a 23.5-point burst, then settling at 14.5, while Giménez has trended upward across his last three games, climbing from 8 to 12.5 to 13 points. Consistency there matters against an A's pitching staff that's allowed 5.7 runs per game on the season, a number that speaks to just how porous this Oakland roster has become without its injured arms.
There are no fantasy projections available for this one, so this preview isn't the place for start-or-fade calls — but the matchup context alone tells a clear story. Toronto brings a healthier offensive core, a known and effective starter in Soriano, and momentum from a series against Cleveland that showed real thump. Oakland brings desperation-fueled energy and a lineup that's found ways to win despite missing half its normal everyday names, but an unnamed starter and a run-prevention number that ranks among the worst in the league make this a tough ask against a Toronto club still chasing something real in the standings.
Look for Toronto's lineup depth — even without Guerrero and Kirk — to be too much for an Oakland pitching staff still searching for length from whoever takes the ball. Soriano should keep the Athletics' shorthanded lineup in check for the bulk of his outing, and Springer's recent run of production feels unlikely to slow down against a defense that's allowed nearly six runs a night. Expect Toronto to control this one from the middle innings on and take Game 2 of this series.
Prediction: Blue Jays 7, Athletics 3.
