Dylan Cease takes the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays in the Sunday rubber match against the Chicago Cubs, riding the lift of a late comeback that nearly erased a 5-0 deficit. Toronto will look to turn that energy into its second straight series win and push b
The Blue Jays don’t need a fresh spark—just a continuation of one. After the Cubs were left stunned by a late Toronto rally on Saturday, the rubber match arrives Sunday with the series still hanging in the balance.
Toronto will go for its second straight series win and an immediate step back toward a .500 record when it takes the field at 2:20 p.m. ET (11:20 a.m. PT). Dylan Cease will make the start for the Blue Jays (38-39). carrying the kind of form that has made him Toronto’s most reliable arm this season. He leads the American League with 110 strikeouts.
Cease comes in off a strong outing in Boston on Tuesday. when he earned the win after five innings of shutout baseball. He struck out seven and walked four, pushing his season-long ERA to 2.71 and his WHIP to 1.192. Against the Cubs. the four free passes he allowed last time will be a detail to watch—because Chicago has built much of its offense by getting on base. The Cubs lead MLB with 338 free passes, and Cease has never been known for shutting down that particular avenue.
The setting has already been loud about who controls at-bats. In the first two games of the series, Chicago drew 18 walks combined—helping create a slow-burn approach that has defined both outcomes. The Cubs won 16-2 on Friday and then held on for an 8-6 victory on Saturday.
That’s why Sunday matters beyond the standings. Toronto’s bullpen has been leaned on heavily through this series. and it has shown in who had to work and how quickly plans changed. On Friday, a blowout loss pushed Kevin Gausman out after just six outs. On Saturday, Patrick Corbin lasted only 3.2 innings in the win. Lazaro Estrada carried 2.1 innings out of the bullpen. and Louis Varland pitched two innings to earn his 15th save of the season.
And still, Toronto found a way to make Saturday feel like a turning point. The comeback started in the seventh inning when Daulton Varsho—returning after more than a week sidelined with a wrist injury—cracked a three-run homer to ignite the rally. The next frame was even more damaging: the Blue Jays nearly batted around the order. plating five runs. capped by a three-run shot from Kazuma Okamoto. That blast was his 16th of the year, and it turned a 5-0 deficit into the lead.
If Toronto’s late surge is meant to carry into Sunday, it will have to deal with a Chicago starter who is capable of surviving hard contact—even when results have been uneven. Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.062 WHIP.
The long ball has been the problem for Imanaga in 2026. Over 15 starts, he has allowed a 1.8 HR/9. He hasn’t been tagged for a home run in his last two starts, but the warning signs are still there: he surrendered 10 combined home runs in the three previous starts.
Even the head-to-head picture shows why this matchup could tilt quickly. In Imanaga’s only start against the Blue Jays in his three-year MLB career before Sunday—back in 2024—he gave up one run, a homer to Joey Loperfido, and struck out six in a 1-0 loss.
The Blue Jays have a rally they can build on, Cease looking for another defining start, and a Cubs team that knows how to find extra baserunners. With the series tied up in emotion and momentum, Sunday’s rubber match sets the tone for what comes next.
Toronto Blue Jays Chicago Cubs Dylan Cease Shota Imanaga MLB series rubber match Daulton Varsho Kazuma Okamoto baseball odds bullpen