After a 10-game stretch during which they failed to record consecutive victories, the Toronto Blue Jays got back on track by sweeping the Seattle Mariners this past weekend. That performance helped better their position in the race for a postseason berth, and for the next three days, their fate is in their own hands.
The reigning American League champion Blue Jays (68-70) attempt to move closer to a Wild Card spot when they visit the Cleveland Guardians (69-68) at 6:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday in the opener of a critical three-game series at Progressive Field. Toronto, which has reached the playoffs four of the last six seasons and were two outs away from a Game 7 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year's World Series before losing in 11 innings, trails Cleveland for the third AL Wild Card by 1.5 games.
The Blue Jays endured a 4-6 stretch before the three-game sweep of Seattle during which they outscored the Mariners 19-4. They kick off a nine-game road trip when they meet the Guardians, against whom they won two of three at home in April.
Cleveland carried a seven-game winning streak into its weekend series with the Kansas City Royals and lost the first two games before avoiding a sweep with an 11-1 rout. The Guardians are one-half game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles for the third Wild Card but also are in the chase for the AL Central title as they trail the Chicago White Sox by three games.
Tuesday's full 15-game MLB schedule also includes the middle contest of the three-game set between the Philadelphia Phillies (78-60) and Arizona Diamondbacks (73-66) at 9:40 p.m. ET at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Phillies, who are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot in the National League, took the opener 2-1 to extend their winning streak to five games and climb within four of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East. It was the second straight loss for Arizona, which fell one-half game behind the San Diego Padres for the third Wild Card berth.
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The Mariners (64-74) hope to avoid falling farther back in the postseason race when they resume their three-game series against the Boston Red Sox (75-63) at 6:45 p.m. ET at Fenway Park. Seattle squandered a late three-run lead in the opener and suffered its sixth consecutive loss, a 9-8 setback in 10 innings that dropped the club six games behind the AL West-leading Houston Astros and 5.5 back in the Wild Card standings. The Red Sox are 5.5 games ahead of Cleveland for the second Wild Card and three behind the New York Yankees for the top spot.
Meanwhile, the Yankees (78-60) look to recover from an embarrassing defeat when they take on the Los Angeles Angels (53-85) at 9:38 p.m. ET at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. New York, which trails the Tampa Bay Rays for first in the AL East by 4.5 games, was trounced 10-1 in Monday's series opener. The victory ended a seven-game slide for the Angels, who had lost the first six contests of their nine-game homestand.
The Guardians are huge -182 money line betting favorites against the Blue Jays in the latest consensus MLB betting odds, while the Phillies are -135 sports betting favorites versus the Diamondbacks. The Red Sox are -121 favorites over the Mariners at sports betting apps, and the Yankees are a massive -188 to win against the Angels.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Tuesday, Sept. 1. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Blue Jays at Guardians
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Cleveland | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Blue Jays +1.5 (-143) | Expert: Guardians -0.5 first five innings (-128, Larry Hartstein)
Since getting pounded 13-2 by the Kansas City Royals last Thursday, the Blue Jays have allowed just four runs over three games while scoring 19. They reached Cleveland right-hander Gavin Williams for six runs across six innings when they faced him at home earlier this season. The 27-year-old Williams has posted a 4.43 ERA in four career starts against Toronto, and the SportsLine Projection Model believes the Blue Jays can do some damage in Tuesday's matchup as they cover the spread betting run line of +1.5 in 70% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein realizes Williams is coming off a brutal outing against the Angels in which he was tagged for five runs over 1 1/3 frames, but he likes the strikeout expert to rebound and the Guardians to be ahead through the first five innings of the contest.
Mariners at Red Sox
Time: 6:45 p.m. | Location: Boston | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7 (-122) | Expert: Bryan Woo Under 17.5 outs recorded (-115, PropBetGuy)
Both teams have been giving up a bunch of runs lately, as Boston yielded nine and 16 in its two games prior to the series opener while Seattle has surrendered six or more four times during its current five-game losing streak. That includes Monday's matchup, in which the Mariners and Red Sox combined for 17 runs. Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo enters Tuesday with a 5.96 road ERA and Boston is starting a 22-year-rookie in Venezuelan righty Jedixson Paez, who gave up three runs over 1 1/3 frames in two of his three major-league relief appearances. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the scoreboard operators being busy in the middle contest of the three-game set as its simulations have the Over/Under betting line of seven hitting well over 61% of the time. Woo has worked six or more innings in only five of his 14 road starts this year. He also has been experiencing shoulder soreness of late, and SportsLine prop betting expert PropBetGuy (106-75, +1403 on his last 181 MLB player prop picks) doesn't like his chances of going deep into Tuesday's contest.
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Yankees at Angels
Time: 9:38 p.m. | Location: Anaheim, Calif. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7.5 (+100) | Expert: Yankees ML (-177, Adam Thompson)
A double-digit run total was reached in each of the Yankees' last three games. New York scored nine and 16 runs in the first two contests, respectively, while the Angels crossed the plate 10 times in Monday's series opener. It's highly unlikely Los Angeles will repeat that feat against Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole, but it wouldn't be surprising to see New York manhandle Angels righty Grayson Rodriguez, who has a 7.78 home ERA this season. The teams combined for at least eight runs in each of their first five meetings in 2026, and the SportsLine Projection Model doesn't feel runs will be at a premium Tuesday as the Over hits in almost 62% of its simulations. Cole's ERA over his last six outings is under 2.00, which has SportsLine expert Adam Thompson (24-9, +1365 on his last 33 MLB picks) believing the Yankees will even the series.
Phillies at Diamondbacks
Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: Phoenix | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Diamondbacks ML (+115) | Expert: Jesus Luzardo Over 5.5 strikeouts (-142, Alex Selesnick)
The Diamondbacks are just 13-10 at home since the All-Star Break but have lost back-to-back contests in the desert just once in that span. Philadelphia has won five straight and 14 of its last 16, but left-hander Jesus Luzardo hasn't fared well against Arizona as he owns a 5.53 ERA in six career starts and was tagged for five runs over 4 2/3 innings in an outing earlier this season. The SportsLine Projection Model thinks the Diamondbacks will end the Phillies's winning streak as its simulations have them posting a victory on Tuesday 55% of the time. Luzardo is second in the NL with 203 strikeouts and has registered at least nine in each of his last four turns. SportsLine props expert Alex Selesnick feels the 28-year-old will fan at least six Diamondbacks in this meeting.
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