Dylan Cease
Breakdown
Performance
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April 3, 2026
Lacks command in no-decision
Cease did not factor into the decision in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the White Sox, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 4.1 innings.
Analysis
Cease allowed a run via his own error in the first inning and two more in the third. He threw just 51 of 93 pitches for strikes despite generating a whopping 16 whiffs, exiting after a one-out walk in the fifth. While the 30-year-old is no stranger to inconsistency, it was an obvious step back from his 12-strikeout debut with the Blue Jays on Saturday. He's slated for a tough home matchup against the Dodgers next week.
April 1, 2026
TOR-CWS postponed Thursday
Cease won't start Thursday against the White Sox after the game was postponed to Friday due to a forecast of inclement weather in Chicago.
Analysis
The Blue Jays are likely to push Cease and the rest of their rotation back a day as a result of the postponement, so the right-hander should still be lined up to start the series opener Friday.
March 30, 2026
Flashes more diverse pitch mix
Cease has more confidence in his changeup this season and seems committed to broadening his arsenal, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis
The right-hander has been essentially a two-pitch pitcher during his big-league career, throwing his two-seam fastball and slider over 40 percent of the time last season with the Padres, but in his first outing for the Blue Jays on Saturday, neither pitch reached that mark while his knuckle curve, two-seamer, changeup and sweeper all sat with usage rates between 7.8 percent and 10.0 percent. The changeup was especially impressive, as he's firmed it up a bit to give it more velocity and arm-side run but less vertical drop. The result was eight whiffs on eight changeups that averaged 83.7 mph, as batters sold out to try and meet his usual high-90s heat. "I'm going to keep fine-tuning it," Cease said. "Trying to find a little more consistency with command, but I like where it's at." With batters having more to think about than ever before when facing Cease, he struck out 12 batters in 5.1 innings -- setting a franchise record for Ks in a Blue Jays debut in the process.
March 29, 2026
Fans 12 in no-decision Saturday
Cease didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 8-7 extra-innings win over the A's, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out 12.
Analysis
Signed to a seven-year, $210 million contract this winter, Cease looked to be worth every penny in his Toronto debut as he fired 61 of 90 pitches for strikes and blanked the A's for five frames before running out of gas in the sixth. It's the most strikeouts in franchise history for a pitcher making his Blue Jays debut, breaking the record of 11 set by David Price in August of 2015. Cease will have plenty of motivation to stay locked in when he takes the mound for his next start, which lines up to come on the road next week against the White Sox -- the team he made his MLB debut with in 2019.