Dylan Cease appears to have run out of gas, and the same could be said about the Blue Jays’ ability to make the playoffs.
uncertain
same → appear → playoffs
Cease has been carrying the starting rotation and middling offence for most of the year.
asserted
Cease → carry → year
The heavy lifting clearly took a toll for the stretch run.
asserted
lifting → take → run
The velocity on Cease’s fastball has been steadily declining for several weeks and dipped even lower in a 7-1 road loss to the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
asserted
velocity → decline → night
The 30-year-old right-hander allowed four runs and couldn’t get out of the third inning of the pivotal series opener.
asserted
hander → allow → opener
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians won to move into first place in the American League Central, while the Chicago White Sox lost.
asserted
Sox → win → Central
That means the Jays trail the White Sox by two games for the final wild-card spot, and they do not own the tiebreaker.
asserted
they → mean → tiebreaker
Cease’s poor showing should also eliminate him from Cy Young consideration.
asserted
showing → eliminate → consideration
That honour will likely go to Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler, who has pitched more innings (184 2/3 vs. 169) with a lower ERA (1.95 vs. 2.40) and fewer walks/hits per inning pitched (0.90 vs. 1.10).
asserted
who → go → 1.10
It wasn’t supposed to end this way.
asserted
It → suppose → ?
Through the first five months, Cease was consistently hitting the upper-90s in miles per hour with his fastball.
asserted
Cease → hit → fastball
That high velocity combined with a wipeout slider turned him into the major-league leader in strikeouts and a front-runner to win the first Cy Young of his career.
asserted
velocity → combine → career
The warning signs started earlier this month.
asserted
signs → start → ?
Against the Athletics on Sept. 7, his average fastball velocity fell below 95 m.p.h. for the first time since 2023.
asserted
velocity → fall → 2023
The problems continued in Cease’s next outing versus the Baltimore Orioles, when he failed to average 95 m.p.h. or higher in back-to-back starts for the first time in the big leagues.
asserted
he → continue → leagues
The lack of heat became an even bigger issue in Texas.
asserted
lack → become → Texas
Through the first couple of innings, his fastball sat in the 91-to-93-m.p.h. range.
asserted
fastball → sit → range
By the time he walked off the field with his team trailing by four, his average was still only 93.6 m.p.h., a career low.
asserted
average → walk → four
Cease threw just 36 of 74 pitches for strikes with an alarming six walks, his most since Aug. 16 of last year.
asserted
Cease → throw → year
Cease walked two in the first inning, but escaped unscathed.
asserted
Cease → walk → inning
The turning point came on the next ground ball when shortstop Ernie Clement made an ill-advised throw to third base.
asserted
Clement → come → base
He was trying to get the force out, but his throw bounced off Jake Burger’s helmet and ricocheted down the line as two runners scored.
asserted
runners → try → line
Cease then served up a sacrifice fly to Ezequiel Durán before Corey Seager added an RBI double and the Rangers jumped in front 4-0.
asserted
Rangers → serve → front
Cease returned for the third, but loaded the bases again before he was replaced by Brendan Cellucci.
asserted
he → return → Cellucci
The late-season swoon will likely teach the Jays some valuable lessons about how to handle Cease in the future.
asserted
swoon → teach → future
But this isn’t about how many outs he recorded, it’s about how many pitches he threw while doing it.
asserted
he → record → it
There were four consecutive starts in April and May when Cease threw at least 106 pitches, followed by seven straight starts of at least 102 in June and July, including a season-high 120.
uncertain
Cease → be → 120
The Jays continue to insist Cease is fine and there are no injury concerns.
asserted
Cease → continue → ?
That’s probably true — if not, it would be a fireable offence — but it doesn’t change the fact that he has clearly worn down and no longer resembles the pitcher he was through the first five months.
asserted
he → ’ → months
They have eight games left to make up three games in the standings; Toronto owns the tiebreaker with the Guardians, but not with the White Sox.
asserted
Toronto → have → Sox
After playing mediocre baseball through the first four months, the Jays had little margin for error in August and September.
asserted
Jays → play → August
They needed to be at their best over the last couple of weeks and instead were at their worst.
asserted
They → need → worst
The season isn’t technically over, but a 4-7 stretch has put them on the brink.
asserted
stretch → put → brink
Their only shot now is winning almost all of their remaining games while hoping for a total collapse by the White Sox.
asserted
shot → win → Sox
The Aporia
