TORONTO — The last time these two teams shared a field, it didn’t feel real. It was beyond logic: 11 innings, constant changes and a Game 7 that ended with the Dodgers escaping as champions, a title sealed on the same field where the Blue Jays saw a season escape.
Now they meet again, again in Toronto, with the memory still fresh. The Dodgers return as back-to-back champions, with the same core that survived that November night.
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Dodgers (7-2, 1st in NL West)
If there were initial concerns about the Dodgers’ offense, they didn’t make the trip east.
At 7-2, they come to Toronto playing their cleanest stretch of baseball yet, and the turnaround has been quick. What seemed out of sync against Cleveland changed almost immediately in Washington, where they scored 31 runs in a three-game sweep and reestablished the identity this lineup is capable of when it finds a rhythm.
This group seems awake now, but more importantly, it seems stratified. Shohei Ohtani is adapting and impacting games in multiple ways, even when he’s not the focal point. Freddie Freeman remains the constant and continues to drive the offense with timely hits and tone-setting extra-base production. Around him, depth begins to appear in significant points. Andy Pages has forced his way into the conversation off to a torrid start, and contributions from role players have turned what could be isolated protests into sustained pressure.
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That depth is what allows this lineup to perform like it has over the last week. It was clearly on display in Sunday’s comeback, where a five-run deficit drove urgency less than patience. The Dodgers didn’t need a big swing to get back into the game. They built innings, created traffic and let the game come to them. That focus is what makes them difficult to store, especially when production is not concentrated in one or two locations.
Even the release, while not perfect, has done enough to support that identity. The starters have kept games within reach and the bullpen has managed to limit the damage in key spots. There have been moments where things have faltered, but the group as a whole has kept those moments from spiraling. When it has mattered, the offense has taken over, reinforcing a balance that is beginning to take shape early in the season.
However, the most important plot of this series is not who produces, but who does not.
Mookie Betts has been placed on the injured list with a right oblique strain, an absence that immediately reshapes the top of the lineup. The injury was confirmed after an MRI in Washington, and while manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the typical 4-6 week timeline associated with oblique issues, the club remains hopeful that Betts can return sooner than expected.
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Betts exited Saturday’s game in the first inning and the ripple effects are already being felt. The Dodgers have called up Hyeseong Kim, who is expected to share time with Miguel Rojas in the left side of the infield, while Alex Freeland takes on a larger role at second base. It is not a direct replacement and is not intended to be. Instead, it reflects the way this roster is built: leaning on versatility and depth rather than expecting one player to replicate Betts’ production.
There is no clear way to replace what Betts offers at the top of the order. What the Dodgers can do is what they already began to demonstrate over the past week: absorb the loss, spread the responsibility and continue generating offense from multiple points. They don’t come into this series looking for an identity. They have already started establishing one.
Blue Jays (4-5, 3rd in AL East)
If the Dodgers come in with momentum, the Blue Jays are still trying to stabilize.
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Toronto’s record doesn’t fully capture the tone of the last week. After a strong opening series, they have lost five of their last six, including a sweep at the hands of the White Sox, a stretch defined more by missed opportunities than a complete collapse.
The launch has been uneven but viable, the problem has been the offense.
Run production has stalled at key moments, and when opportunities have come, they have often slipped away, either through situational hits or defensive errors that have aggravated innings.
There is also the question of health.
Toronto enters this series with a growing injury list, including the absence of catcher Alejandro Kirk and multiple arms sidelined or trying to return. It’s not a full-strength roster, and against a lineup like the Dodgers, that margin becomes tighter.
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Still, this is a team that doesn’t need much to change the narrative.
A single series can reset the tone of an early season. And for a team that hasn’t forgotten how last year ended, this matchup carries a little more weight than the schedule suggests.
Launch Odds
Monday, April 6: Justin Wrobleski (0-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (1-0, 1.50 ERA)
Tuesday, April 7: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (0-0, 0.75)
Wednesday, April 8: Shohei Ohtani (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Dylan Cease (0-0, 2.79 ERA)
Injury report
Dodgers
Day to day: None
10-day IL: Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts
15-day IL: Blake Snell, Landon Knack, Brusdar Graterol, Brock Stewart
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60-day IL: Kiké Hernández, Evan Phillips, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Jake Cousins
Tiles
Everyday life: Addison Barger
10-day IL: Alejandro Kirk
15-day IL: Yimi García, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos
60-day IL: Anthony Santander, Bowden Francis, Cody Ponce
