Dylan Cease stays dominant as Blue Jays' late rally solves Rays' pitching

"14.0 combined innings, one run on eight hits and three walks allowed, 19 strikeouts Cease has provided the best of both worlds during his eighth and ninth starts as a Blue Jay, maintaining his elite strikeout ability while also pitching deep into both games. And against the Rays, he accomplished something he had never done before: compile at least seven innings in three consecutive starts."

"Last season, mind you, Cease struggled mightily in this regard. Of the 32 starts he made with the San Diego Padres, he only pitched seven innings twice - and it took him until June 10 to reach that mark the second time. But this year's version of Cease is vastly different from last year's. He's starting to unlock his Cy Young-calibre potential again, just as he did as an American League finalist in 2022 and as a fourth-place finisher in the NL two years ago."

""I love where he's at," manager John Schneider said of Cease, who lowered his ERA to 2.41 and FIP to 1.88 on the season following his latest pitching gem. Cease, who leads the AL in strikeouts this season with 75 and trails only Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski (80) for first among major-league starters, wasn't nearly as efficient with his pitch count this time compared to his previous start against the Angels."

"But he still attacked the strike zone aggressively, converting 61.6 per cent of his 99 pitches for strikes across seven innings of one-run, three-hit ball in Wednesday's 5-3 walk-off, extra-innings win over the Rays. If Cease had it his way, though, his outing would've contin"

Dylan Cease has delivered strong performances in his last two starts for the Toronto Blue Jays. Across 14.0 combined innings, he allowed one run on eight hits and three walks while striking out 19 batters. He has maintained elite strikeout production and has pitched deep into games, including at least seven innings in three consecutive starts against the Tampa Bay Rays. Last season with the San Diego Padres, he struggled to reach seven innings, doing so only twice in 32 starts. This season, his ERA is 2.41 and his FIP is 1.88. He leads the American League in strikeouts with 75 and has attacked the strike zone aggressively, throwing 99 pitches for strikes at a 61.6% rate over seven innings.

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