Dylan Cease goes even in 2-0 shutout of Mariners

Cease was tagged for seven hits, including solo homers by Victor Mesa Jr. and Cedric Mullins. He finished with seven strikeouts and only issued one walk. A whopping three errors, including one by Cease himself, led to only one of the additional three runs being earned in this one. It was a rare clunker for the 30-year-old since he had allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his previous six starts since returning from the injured list on June 9. He’ll wrap up a two-start week with a road matchup against the suddenly red-hot Red Sox on Sunday.

Cease took the ball for the American League and delivered an impressive performance in his first Midsummer Classic. He struck out Kyle Schwarber with a nasty slider before blowing a 98-mph fastball past Juan Soto. It was Freddie Freeman who extended the inning with a nine-pitch walk, but Cease rebounded to strike out CJ Abrams and escape the frame completely unscathed. The 30-year-old righty wrapped up a phenomenal first half in his Blue Jays debut with a 2.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 148/44 K/BB ratio over 98 1/3 innings. He’s performed like a bona fide fantasy ace and will open the second half with a home start this weekend against his former club, the upstart White Sox.

Cease has been outstanding in 2026 in his first year with the Blue Jays with a 2.56 ERA and 148 strikeouts, albeit with an unlucky 6-4 record. He’ll likely go an inning — maybe two — before giving way to the plethora of quality arms in the AL “bullpen.”

Cease was at 106 pitches after seven, but he clearly wanted to continue, and after a nine-pitch eighth, he was allowed to start the ninth. He wound up throwing just three pitches then, the last of which was a clean single from Heliot Ramos. Tyler Walker replaced him and preserved the shutout against his former club. Cease, who pitched a no-hitter for the Padres in 2024, struck out 11 and walked three. He has six 10-strikeout games this season and 31 for his career. The first-time All-Star closes out the first half 6-4 with a 2.56 ERA. He’s second in the majors with 148 strikeouts and seventh in ERA.

Cease had trouble finding the zone in the first inning against the Rangers. It cost him, with a run scoring on a base hit after two free passes. He settled down for three quiet innings before running into more trouble in the fifth. Cease walked a batter and allowed a run in on two hits with two outs in the inning. He couldn’t make it out of the frame, ending his day at 107 pitches. Both inherited runners would come in to score, adding two more runs to his line. He struck out 10 to help limit the damage. The 30-year-old right-hander will look to bounce back when he takes a 3.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 128/40 K/BB ratio across 83 1/3 innings into a start against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday.

Cease gave up three hits, walked four and struck out eight. He’s allowed three earned runs in 16 2/3 innings with 26 strikeouts and nine walks in three starts since returning from the injured list. Cease has a 2.75 ERA. He’s lined up to face the Rangers at home this weekend.

It’ll be made up on August 6. There’s actually a ton to unpack here from a fantasy fallout standpoint. Toronto’s scheduled starter, Dylan Cease, will presumably take the ball for Monday’s series opener against the Astros. That would delay Shane Bieber’s return from the injured list for his season debut until Tuesday’s showdown in the Rogers Centre. Cease would close out a two-start week with a showdown against the Rangers at home. Meanwhile, Shota Imanaga gets the ball on Monday against the free-falling Mets as a part of a two-start week that wraps up with a road tilt against the Brewers.

In his second start back from the injured list, Cease allowed four hits and walked four while striking out seven. He posted 16 whiffs on the day with a 15 percent swinging strike rate, but he threw only 61 percent of his pitches for strikes. He really struggled to land both his curve and changeup for strikes, but, luckily, he threw enough strikes with his four-seam fastball, and his slider missed more than enough bats. He gets a tougher test against the Cubs next week, but he’s obviously somebody you’re keeping in your lineups.

Cease was excellent in allowing just three hits and one walk, but Zach Wheeler matched him to make it a 1-1 game after six. Those rostering Cease should still be very encouraged, as he allowed just four hard-hit balls and one walk while getting is 18 outs tonight. He’ll face the Red Sox in Boston next week.

Cease returns from a two-week stint on the injured list recovering from a left hamstring strain to take the ball against the Phillies at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night. The 30-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter holds a strong 3.05 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 92/26 K/BB ratio across 62 innings over 11 starts in his Blue Jays debut this season. His return will provide a much-needed lift for Toronto’s rotation mix and fantasy managers alike.