{"id":5594,"date":"2026-09-02T12:23:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T12:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/?p=5594"},"modified":"2026-09-02T12:23:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T12:23:24","slug":"can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the Toronto Blue Jays Return to the MLB Playoffs? Key Storylines for Late 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On August 10, Toronto started its day with a record of 56-63 and a position in the American League East where it was last in the league, and playoff hopes remain a stubborn subject to ignore. This has little to do with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rather, it is the rest of the American League that makes it possible. As per the standings, the third team to win the wild card is currently at .500. Four teams are just a couple of spots away from winning the wild card. Toronto trails the current third spot by 3.5 games with 43 remaining on the schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026\/#A_Weekend_in_Philadelphia_That_Kept_the_Season_Open\" >A Weekend in Philadelphia That Kept the Season Open<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026\/#Seven_Games_That_Answer_the_Question\" >Seven Games That Answer the Question<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026\/#What_Has_to_Go_Right\" >What Has to Go Right<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026\/#The_Wild_Card_Picture_Is_Crowded_Not_Distant\" >The Wild Card Picture Is Crowded, Not Distant<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/can-the-toronto-blue-jays-return-to-the-mlb-playoffs-key-storylines-for-late-2026\/#What_This_Homestand_Sets_Up\" >What This Homestand Sets Up<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Weekend_in_Philadelphia_That_Kept_the_Season_Open\"><\/span>A Weekend in Philadelphia That Kept the Season Open<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most recent trip speaks to the continued relevance of this question. During the series at Citizens Bank Park, the Jays managed to win two out of three games against the Phillies &#8211; with a close 5-4 victory on Friday and a 7-5 win on Saturday before losing 7-6 on Sunday. All three matches were decided by a difference of a single run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This particular round did not result in any significant changes in the rankings. However, it did provide the team with a chance to secure a victory while playing against a strong opponent from the National League prior to getting into a series of tough games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Seven_Games_That_Answer_the_Question\"><\/span>Seven Games That Answer the Question<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Boston is in the city playing the Blue Jays tonight for four consecutive days until Thursday. After their encounter with the Blue Jays, the Yankees will be playing three games against the Blue Jays over the weekend. Both teams are contenders for the wild cards, and to make matters worse, they are close enough in performance that their head-to-head games will have a major influence on the end results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is relatively easy to calculate. If the Blue Jays win five out of the seven matches, they will be only one and a half games behind a wild-card playoff position. However, if they split the seven games with the Red Sox, nothing will change. Further, if the Blue Jays lose five out of the seven matches, the Toronto executives will use the last month of the baseball season to give the younger players some practice games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re interested in following matches online or placing bets, there are specialized websites for this purpose. You can register on <a href=\"https:\/\/melbet-canada.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Melbet<\/a> to access a wide range of sporting events relevant to Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Has_to_Go_Right\"><\/span>What Has to Go Right<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three things separate the version of this team that makes a genuine run from the one that quietly fades:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Close games.<\/strong> Three consecutive one-run finishes in Philadelphia are not a fluke \u2013 it is the shape of Toronto&#8217;s entire season. The bullpen decides this race.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The middle of the order.<\/strong> Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has to be the best hitter in the building for six weeks, not for a series at a time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Home advantage.<\/strong> Eleven of the next fourteen games are at the Rogers Centre. A club with a losing record cannot afford to be neutral at home in August.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of those depend on a trade or a call-up. They depend on the roster that is already in the clubhouse. Anyone tracking the race from Canada has more information available than the standings page offers. The <a href=\"https:\/\/claude.ai\/chat\/23e5e14e-421a-4f4f-93d9-29e2fbbd8c66#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MelBet GuideBook<\/a> walks through how wildcard and division markets are priced during the final six weeks, which is useful context when a single four-game series can reorder half the American League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Wild_Card_Picture_Is_Crowded_Not_Distant\"><\/span>The Wild Card Picture Is Crowded, Not Distant<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gap is manageable. The traffic in front of it is the actual problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Record<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Games back of the third wild card<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>New York Yankees<\/td><td>66-52<\/td><td>Holds first wild card<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Boston Red Sox<\/td><td>64-53<\/td><td>Holds second wild card<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Texas Rangers<\/td><td>59-59<\/td><td>Holds third wild card<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Detroit Tigers<\/td><td>58-60<\/td><td>1.0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Minnesota Twins<\/td><td>58-61<\/td><td>1.5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Cleveland Guardians<\/td><td>58-61<\/td><td>1.5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Baltimore Orioles<\/td><td>57-61<\/td><td>2.0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Toronto Blue Jays<\/td><td>56-63<\/td><td>3.5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Toronto doesn\u2019t have to make the mistake of looking down on one team. It has to surpass four teams, none of which are playing well enough to fall off on their own. Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Baltimore have been rotating around .500 for weeks. In a situation like that, a five-game winning streak means more than it looks like on paper, and a five-game losing streak ends the discussion completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_This_Homestand_Sets_Up\"><\/span>What This Homestand Sets Up<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end of Sunday night, we will know what Toronto&#8217;s September will look like. If the city has a successful homestand, then this month will become one that Toronto has not seen since its run in 2025, which is competitive late-season baseball at Rogers Centre, while the standings will be checked every day. And if the homestand is unsuccessful, then it will turn into a trial for 2027. By the end of seven games against Boston and New York, we will get more answers about this team than in the last forty games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On August 10, Toronto started its day with a record of 56-63 and a position in the American League East&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5596,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5594\/revisions\/5596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derekdemars.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}