Dylan Cease has strung together a series of strong starts, and the American League Cy Young candidate looks to excel again Monday night when the Toronto Blue Jays visit the Athletics at West Sacramento, Calif.

Cease has allowed two runs and 10 hits in 18 2/3 innings while winning three straight starts for Toronto (72-72), which is one game behind the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL wild-card spot.

Cease (10-5, 2.25 ERA) is 4-0 with a 1.38 ERA over his last eight starts.

"I like my ability to execute right now, and even when I'm not at my sharpest, I can command my fastball enough to get outs," Cease told reporters. "I like where I'm at."

Cease, 30, is in the first season of a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays.

He was the AL's starting pitcher for the All-Star Game and has struck out 10 or more batters nine times this season. He is fourth in the majors in ERA and third with 221 strikeouts. He is seven punchouts shy of a new career high.

Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees is the AL Cy Young favorite, and Cease is the only one with a realistic shot at catching him. Cease already has two top-five finishes for baseball's top pitching award -- he finished second for the Chicago White Sox in 2022 and fourth for the National League honor as a member of the San Diego Padres in 2024.

Toronto manager John Schneider appreciates that Cease can be counted on to provide a strong outing every five days. He said Cease's routine between starts is highly impressive.

"It's different, but it's really consistent," Schneider said. "His throw days are consistent, his lift days are consistent and he does a lot of stuff behind the scenes in the weight room. You see it a little bit in his bullpen when he's got his belts on, the stuff, the gadgets. He's got a lot going on. He's very meticulous with it."

Cease is 3-2 with a 5.44 ERA in eight career starts against the A's. He struck out 12 against them in his season debut on March 28 -- a season-high that has since been matched twice -- while allowing one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision.

The Blue Jays had won seven of eight games before falling 6-1 to the host Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Now the Blue Jays have three games against the Athletics (57-87), whose four-game winning streak was snapped Sunday with a 2-0 loss to the host Seattle Mariners.

The A's scored 29 runs during the winning streak before having just one hit in Sunday's setback. Henry Bolte had that lone hit with a single leading off the fourth inning.

Still, the A's took three of four in Seattle and finished 4-3 on a seven-game trip that began with three games against the Texas Rangers.

"Good road trip. We would have loved to have swept the series, especially on the road," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "But winning a series here in Seattle, a winning road trip, says a lot about the club."

Left-hander Jacob Lopez (6-4, 4.71) will start for the A's in the opener.

Lopez defeated the Rangers on Wednesday when he gave up two runs and six hits -- two solo homers -- over six innings.

That continued a strong stretch in which Lopez posted a 2.48 ERA over five August starts. He struck out 35 and walked eight, though he had no decisions.

Lopez has an unsightly 10.50 ERA in three career starts against Toronto, but he owns a 2-1 record. Ernie Clement (2-for-4) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1-for-4) have each homered off him.

--Field Level Media