Both the Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds entered the 2026 season with high hopes. Toronto was fresh off a 2025 campaign that saw them win 94 games and come damn close to taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series, while the Reds managed to actually win more games than they lost – for them, a true feat of strength.
Nothing close to that has gone to plan in 2026, however.
Toronto finally got bounced from the murky AL Wild Card chase earlier this week to officially end their
postseason dreams, while the Reds have been dead in the water for months now. Sadly, that makes this weekend’s final series of the season completely meaningless in the grand scheme even if there are a few personal milestones certain players are attempting to reach.
Elly De La Cruz mashed the 30th homer of his season last night and now sits a steal away from joining the 30/30 club. Sal Stewart is still firmly in the mix for the major league lead in RBI (while also trying to keep his season OPS beginning with an 8), and the Reds as a whole are trying to see if they can finish the season last in each of wRC+, FIP, and DRS.
Yay!
Nick Lodolo gets his final start of the season looking to finish strong in Friday’s series opener, while Jose Soriano will go for the Jays. First pitch is set for 7:07 PM ET.
Here’s how both clubs will line up to start:
