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Inside The Blue Jays

What We Learned From Blue Jays Two Wins Against Athletics To Start 2026

There were plenty of strong outings that members of the Blue Jays had in their first couple of games, and they are starting to show
Maddy Dickens|
Feb 28, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at TD Ballpark.
Feb 28, 2026; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays currently look like a team that is absolutely refusing to lose. They opened their season at Rogers Centre against the Athletics, and after a pair of back-to-back walk-off victories, the team has secured its first series win of 2026.

Baseball is the longest season in professional sports, so two games in doesn't necessarily mean that this is how the ballclub will look all year, but they dang sure look impressive right now. If the Blue Jays showed anything in these games, it is that their starting rotation could be arguably the most elite in the American League.

While Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease both put on a clinic, there are still some concerns with the bullpen, which is partially lacking because of the injuries that have piled up on the Jays in the last handful of weeks.

It wasn't just the pitching staff that told a tale of strength, but the hitting lineup as well. Toronto picked up right where they left off in 2025, as the bottom of the order carried the Jays to both of their wins over the Athletics.

There is also an infielder who definitely deserves a shoutout- Andrés Giménez. Giménez is coming off the worst season of his career (he batted .210), but is finding confidence in his swing again, which the Blue Jays need desperately after losing Bo Bichette.

Gausman and Cease Put on Masterful Performances

Kevin Gausman throws a baseball in a blue Blue Jays unifor
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

This was the strongest performance that John Schneider and Toronto could have hoped for from their No.1 and No.2 pitchers. The two pitched nearly 12 combined innings in their starts, and had a total of 23 retired batted (Gausman with 11, and Cease with 12).

By the end of both of their wins, there had only two earned runs and one walk. It jsut doesn't get better than that.

Struggles in the Bullpen

Home runs were the bane of Jeff Hoffman's existence in 2025, and in his first trip to the mound he did it again. The Athletics only scored two runs in the initial game, one of which was a a 414 foot bomb in the ninth to tie the game.

Jefff Hoffman throws a baseball in a blue Blue Jays unifor
Blue Jays relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23) throws a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

In game two, six of the seven runs that the Athletics were able to score all came from the relievers. On the bright side, their newest arm, Tyler Rogers, was elite in both of the innings he pitched as he didn't allow a single hit, let alone a run.

With all the injuries the rotation has been plagued by, Lauer is now back in the mix, which takes his production out of the relief squad, which is not ideal, and the Jays cannot afford to lose another starter.

Bottom Half of the Order

The strength of Toronto in 2025 was its offense, and that was on full display in their first two performances at Rogers Centre. In the opener, Ernie Clement, Kazuma Okamoto, and Giménez batted sixth through ninth. All three made contact twice, to account for six of their seven hits.

The win that secured the series for the Blue Jays featured the trio once again, as well as Myles Straw, Addison Barger, and pinch-hitter Jesús Sánchez. 10 of the 14 hits came at the bottom, highlighted by Gimenez going 4-for-5.

If Toronto can get back to healthy, and stay that way, there isn't a better team to bet in the AL to make a deep run in October, and find themselves back in the World Series. It is early on, but this roster is shaping up to be nearly unbeatable.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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