Toronto Blue Jays vs Athletics Picks and Prediction for Tuesday September 8 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, to face the Athletics on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 PM ET with coverage on MLB.TV. Toronto enters at 72-72 overall and 35-37 on the road, while the Athletics are 57-87 overall and 25-44 at home. The Blue Jays have won four of their last five games, while the Athletics have also won four of their last five. Toronto leads the season series 3-0. At the time of this writing the odds were not released. Be sure to check out our free MLB picks for more predictions throughout the season.
Starting Pitchers
Toronto is scheduled to start Jose Soriano, who enters at 11-7 with a 3.52 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 156 innings. He has allowed 132 hits and 70 walks while striking out 151 and surrendering 14 home runs. The Athletics counter with Jack Perkins, who is 3-10 with a 6.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over 98.1 innings. He has allowed 104 hits and 47 walks while recording 116 strikeouts and giving up 18 home runs. Toronto owns the clear advantage in the starting matchup, with the much lower ERA and WHIP along with the stronger overall workload.
Toronto Brings the Better Pitching Profile
Toronto enters this matchup at .500 overall and only two games below .500 on the road. The Blue Jays have won four of their last five games, including victories by scores of 11-0, 6-3, 9-2 and 4-3 before their most recent loss.
The Blue Jays are batting .248 with 580 runs, 1,203 hits and 135 home runs. They own a .309 on-base percentage and .382 slugging percentage. Toronto's pitching staff carries a 3.92 ERA and 1.30 WHIP while holding opponents to a .237 batting average.
Toronto's biggest advantage is run prevention. The Blue Jays own a team ERA nearly a run and a half better than the Athletics and also hold a significant edge in WHIP and opponents' batting average. Toronto has also already won the first three meetings of the season series.
Athletics Bring More Power but Major Pitching Concerns
The Athletics enter this matchup 30 games below .500 and have struggled badly at home with a 25-44 record. They have, however, been playing some of their best baseball recently with four wins in their last five games before entering this series.
The Athletics are batting .247 with 631 runs, 1,206 hits and 174 home runs. They carry a .320 on-base percentage and .404 slugging percentage. Their pitching staff has posted a 5.40 ERA and 1.49 WHIP while opponents are batting .268.
The Athletics' biggest strength is power. They have hit 39 more home runs than Toronto and own the better slugging percentage. The problem is that the pitching staff has been one of the weaker areas in this matchup, and the scheduled starter enters with a 6.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Athletics Picks and Prediction
Pick: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline
Toronto is the preferred side because the pitching advantages are simply too large to ignore. The Blue Jays own a 3.92 team ERA compared with 5.40 for the Athletics, and their scheduled starter enters with a 3.52 ERA compared with 6.50 for the home side. Toronto has also won four of its last five games and leads the season series 3-0. The Athletics' power gives them some upset potential, but take Toronto on the moneyline.
Pick: Over 8.5
The Over 8.5 is the preferred total if the market opens around that number. The Athletics have hit 174 home runs and own a .404 slugging percentage, while their pitching staff carries a 5.40 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. Toronto has also scored at least six runs in three of its last five games. Even with the Blue Jays holding the stronger starting-pitching profile, the Athletics' weak overall run prevention creates enough upside for a higher-scoring result. Take the Over if the total is set at 8.5 or lower.
Final Picks: Toronto Blue Jays Moneyline and Over 8.5
This preview was completed before play on Monday. Starting pitchers, betting lines and other game information are subject to change before the game begins.