Blue Jays Series Preview: Toronto travels to Anaheim looking to break six-series losing streak
Toronto is 8-13 and the Angels are 11-12. Neither club looks like what anyone expected, one trending down from its championship heights last fall, the other trending upward despite its low projections. That being said, the Blue Jays have their excuses for the ongoing trends because, simply put, its plan to run back its electric core from 2025 has been shredded by the injury report.
Offensively, the team hasn’t been what it needs to be either. The Blue Jays are hitting .252 as a team, ranking 8th in MLB, yet only 24th in runs scored (83). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been excellent, however, hitting .333 with a hot stretch of 17-for-40 over his last 10 games. Despite the holes up and down the lineup right now, again due to injury, things are beginning to look up.
More good news is also coming in as outfielder Daulton Varsho will be returning to the lineup tonight, and batting 7th, which is a sigh of relief for fans and management alike, as he was just beginning a power surge before it was interrupted by left knee discomfort.
Another bright spot? The top of the rotation, specifically, the man they paid $210 million for.
Through four starts, Cease owns a 1.74 ERA with 32 strikeouts and a 1.26 WHIP across 20.2 innings. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any outing, and hasn’t surrendered a single home run this season. Despite those gaudy numbers, Cease has yet to earn a win. He and fellow ace Kevin Gausman are two of just three pitchers in MLB history to have started a season with 30-plus strikeouts, an ERA under 2.50, and zero wins.
Dylan Cease’s 26 strikeouts are the most through a pitcher’s first 3 games in franchise history! #BlueJays50
Cease gets the ball tonight in the first game, looking for that first win, and it initially feels like a match made in heaven. The Angels have struck out more than any other team in baseball in 2026, going down 223 times through 23 games. They’ve also been one of the game’s best power-hitting clubs, and no opposing starter has been able to record more than 7 strikeouts against them over their last five games.
The Angels’ 34 home runs rank second in all of baseball. They outscored opponents by 22 runs over their last 10 games despite going just 5-5. They hung 8 runs on San Diego in a series opener, then went quiet for two straight games. That’s the 2026 Angels in a nutshell.
But the real story in Anaheim this season is something nobody quite anticipated to this degree: Prime Mike Trout might be finally back.
Player To Watch: Mike Trout
The most dangerous player on the field this series is no other than the 34-year-old future Hall-of-Fame outfielder who has potentially found the old form that won him 3 MVPs not so long ago.
After back-to-back injury-plagued years, playing only 101 games combined, a good but not amazing 2025 campaign followed, in which he posted a 120 wRC+. This season, however, Trout is turning back the clock, hitting .246/.416/.594 with seven home runs and a 171 wRC+.
The moment that really solidified his return came at Yankee Stadium, where Trout homered five times in a four-game series, becoming the first visiting player ever to homer on four consecutive days at any ballpark the Yankees have called home. Furthermore, these were mammoth shots, with four of the five shots travelling at least 420 feet. One leaving his bat at 114.6 mph.
For this pitching staff, getting Trout out and how they manage his at-bats is going to be one of the most interesting parts of the series.
MIKE TROUT IS UNBELIEVABLE!
The @Angels lead!
Beyond the pitching matchups, the key storyline running through all three games is whether Toronto’s offence can continue to build off of Sunday’s victory and give its starters modest support. For the Angels, the formula is simple: hit home runs and hope the pitching holds. Their boom-or-bust identity has produced some spectacular wins and genuinely baffling losses.
Quick Hits
- Is history repeating? The last time these two teams met in Anaheim — a three-game set in May 2025 — the Angels took the first two games before the Blue Jays salvaged the finale 8-5. That series was later identified as the unofficial turning point of Toronto’s 2025 season. The Jays, beginning tonight, will be hoping lightning strikes twice.
- Earlier this month, Angels outfielder Jo Adell made MLB history by robbing three home runs in a single game against the Seattle Mariners, a feat that had never been accomplished in the sport’s history.
- Vladdy has owned the Angels recently. Over his last 10 games against the Halos, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .462 with 18 hits, 3 home runs, 8 RBIs and 9 runs scored.
Probable Pitchers
Game 1: Dylan Cease vs. Reid Detmers
Game 2: Patrick Corbin vs. Jack Kochanowicz
Game 3: Eric Lauer vs. José Soriano
Game Times
Monday: 9:38 PM ET
Tuesday: 9:38 PM ET
Wednesday: 3:07 PM ET