The Lead

Jays Leapfrog Mariners In Wild-Card Push

Charles McAdoo, recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, led off the fifth inning with a home run that held up as the difference in a 2-1 win over Boston. Andres Gimenez added an RBI single in the sixth and Varland closed it out for his 25th save, enough to lift Toronto past the idle Seattle Mariners in the wild-card chase.

Jameson Taillon working around right forearm discomfort after four innings is the number that matters more than the standings shift. A rotation already stretched thin by the deadline cannot absorb an injury to its most reliable arm without changing the math on October.

The Rest of the Slate

National Bank Open

Iga Swiatek dispatched Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1 to reach the semifinals at Sobeys Stadium, needing barely an hour to do it. The lopsided score puts her among the clear favorites heading into the final rounds.

National Bank Open

Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau saw their doubles run end in a 6-2, 6-4 quarterfinal loss to Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo in Montreal. Their run had been the deepest home-soil doubles story of the tournament before the exit.

Toronto Tempo

Marina Mabrey scored 36 points in a 107-95 loss to Atlanta, but Rhyne Howard's six threes and Angel Reese's double-double gave the Dream a sweep of the season series. A near-40-point night in a defeat says more about the roster around her than about her shot-making.

The Number

Marina Mabrey's point total in Monday's loss to Atlanta A 36-point night that ends in a 12-point loss and a season-series sweep is a scoring problem wearing a boxscore disguise. Watch whether Toronto's offense stays this dependent on one shooter carrying the load, because that formula loses more nights than it wins.

What's On Tonight

            7:07 PM ET · Blue Jays vs. Red Sox · Sportsnet
          

Top Dog — Betting Angle

The pick: Blue Jays moneyline tonight. Dylan Cease brings a 2.28 ERA into a matchup against a Red Sox lineup facing a starter with a 3.38 ERA and one win this season, and that gap is the whole bet.

“Forearms end seasons faster than schedules do”