Toronto Blue Jays vs Athletics Picks and Prediction for Monday September 7 2026

The Toronto Blue Jays and Athletics open a three-game series Monday night at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 PM ET on September 7 with MLB.TV carrying the game. Toronto enters at 72-71 overall and 35-36 on the road, while the Athletics are 57-86 overall and 25-44 at home. The Blue Jays sit fourth in the AL East, 13.5 games behind Tampa Bay, while the Athletics are fourth in the AL West, 16 games behind Houston. Toronto leads the season series 3-0 and enters Monday riding a four-game winning streak, but the Athletics also come in hot after winning four straight. ESPN Analytics gives Toronto a 57.6% chance of winning compared with 42.4% for the Athletics. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Before making your Monday wagers, check out our free MLB picks for more baseball predictions and betting analysis.

Starting Pitchers

Toronto is scheduled to start Dylan Cease, who enters at 10-5 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.04 WHIP through 156.1 innings. Cease has allowed 97 hits and 65 walks while recording 221 strikeouts and surrendering 10 home runs. The Athletics counter with Jacob Lopez, who is 6-4 with a 4.71 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 105 innings. Lopez has allowed 101 hits and 52 walks while striking out 103 and giving up 17 home runs. Toronto owns a major starting-pitching advantage, with Cease carrying the lower ERA, lower WHIP, far more strikeouts and fewer home runs allowed despite working substantially more innings.

Toronto Arrives With Momentum and the Better Arm

Toronto enters Monday one game over .500 at 72-71 and has won four straight. The Blue Jays have beaten Kansas City twice by scores of 4-3 and 9-2 after taking consecutive games from Cleveland 6-3 and 11-0. Their only loss in the last five came 6-1. Toronto has also already swept the first three meetings with the Athletics this season, winning 3-2, 8-7 in 11 innings and 5-2.

The Blue Jays are batting .248 with 1,195 hits, 579 runs and 134 home runs while posting a .309 on-base percentage and .382 slugging percentage. Their raw offensive numbers are actually weaker than the Athletics in several categories, including runs, hits, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Toronto's edge is not coming from overwhelming offensive production, but rather from its much stronger pitching profile and current winning form.

Toronto owns a 3.90 team ERA and 1.30 WHIP while opponents are batting .237. The Blue Jays have recorded 1,239 strikeouts and issued 521 walks. Those numbers are significantly better than the Athletics' pitching profile, particularly in ERA, WHIP and opponent batting average. Combined with the clear advantage in Monday's starting matchup, Toronto has the more dependable run-prevention outlook.

Athletics Have Been Hot but Pitching Remains the Concern

The Athletics enter Monday at 57-86 overall and just 25-44 at home, but they have won four straight games. They have beaten Seattle three times in a row by scores of 6-2, 7-6 and 7-4 after defeating Texas 9-2. Their only loss in the last five came 8-5. The current form is clearly stronger than the season record suggests, and the offense has scored at least six runs in each of those four victories.

The Athletics are batting .248 with 1,205 hits, 631 runs and 174 home runs while producing a .321 on-base percentage and .407 slugging percentage. They have scored 52 more runs than Toronto and hit 40 more home runs while also holding the edge in hits, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Offensively, the Athletics have the stronger full-season profile in this matchup.

Pitching is the problem. The Athletics own a 5.42 team ERA and 1.50 WHIP while opponents are batting .269. They have issued 569 walks and recorded 1,207 strikeouts. Those figures are substantially worse than Toronto's 3.90 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and .237 opponent average. Monday's scheduled starter also enters with a 4.71 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, which puts pressure on the Athletics' offense to keep pace from the beginning.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Athletics Picks and Prediction

Pick: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline

Toronto is the preferred side because the pitching advantage is too large to ignore. The Athletics have the stronger offensive numbers and enter on a four-game winning streak, but Toronto also has four straight victories and has already won all three meetings between these teams this season. The biggest separator is on the mound. Toronto's starter enters with a 2.25 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 221 strikeouts, while the Athletics' starter carries a 4.71 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. Toronto also owns the much better team ERA and opponent batting average. With ESPN Analytics giving the Blue Jays a 57.6% win probability, Toronto moneyline is the preferred side.

Pick: Over 8.5

Over 8.5 is the preferred target. The Athletics have scored at least six runs in four straight games and own the stronger offensive season totals, while Toronto has scored at least six in three of its last four. The Athletics' 5.42 team ERA and 1.50 WHIP also create a favorable setup for Toronto's offense, even though Toronto's scheduled starter is capable of suppressing scoring on the other side. One of the earlier meetings finished 8-7, and the current offensive form of both clubs makes Over 8.5 the preferred total if that number is available.

Final Picks: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline and Over 8.5

This preview was completed before play on Sunday. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.