Sports fans, this is it for the Toronto Blue Jays: 162 games, and it’s all coming down to the final three.
Will they be wild cards on the road, wild cards at home, or will they be finished? That’s what this final series against the American League pennant–clinching Boston Red Sox will determine. It’s the definition of high stakes.
The Blue Jays enter the road trip tied with the Baltimore Orioles for that first AL Wild Card spot. The Orioles have a three-game set against the Yankees. The Detroit Tigers, who are 1.5 games back of Toronto and Baltimore, and with one game in hand, face the Atlanta Braves in their final series of the season.
None of this matters if the Blue Jays, who are riding a two-game losing streak, can have their best series of the month and leave Boston with three wins. That is, of course, easier said than done.
Here’s what to watch out for:
Friday, Sept. 30 — 7:10 EST
Rick Porcello vs. Marco Estrada
Saturday, Oct. 1 – 7:10 EST
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. J.A. Happ
Sunday, Oct. 2 – 3:05 EST
David Price vs. Aaron Sanchez
Not-so Pretty Ricky
Toronto’s quiet bats (the Blue Jays had three hits and no runs Thursday against Baltimore) are going to be put to the test right away in this series, thanks to Pretty Ricky. That’s Rick Porcello.
The right-hander is on the mound for Boston to open this series, he’s a Cy Young candidate, and he leads MLB with 22 wins. His 3.11 ERA is also among the top 15 in the league.
Not exactly the guy you want to see in a maybe must-win.
On the back end of this series, the Jays will face their former friend David Price. His last time out, Price gave up 12 hits, three home runs and six runs. A repeat performance on Sunday in the finale might mean he helps Toronto get to the post-season for a second straight year—except this time around, he’s not on the roster.
Blame it on the rain
The forecast in Boston is really gloomy. It’s supposed to rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So if you’re nervous about this final series, keep in mind a game or two or three could be delayed.
The wait should help calm you.
Start me up
If you’re a Blue Jays fan, you have to feel good about the Estrada-Happ-Sanchez lineup for this series. Together, they’ve combined for three earned runs over each of their last starts.
In his last two starts, Estrada, who gets the ball Friday, has given up just one earned run over 14 innings, and he’s struck out 15.
Happ has the second-most wins in MLB (behind only Pretty Ricky) and in his last time out against the Yankees he almost got No. 21, giving up one earned run through 7.1 innings, before the bullpen erased the lead. He also incited a bench-clearing brawl when he hit Chase Headley.
Sanchez also went 7.1 innings and surrendered one earned run against the Yankees his last time out.
Could that be it?
Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion will soon be free agents, and so Thursday’s 4–0 loss to Baltimore could be the last time we see those two sluggers at the Rogers Centre.
“I want to come back here again, one more time,” Encarnacion told reporters. “I don’t want to leave here like that. I want to come back here to the playoffs and give everything I’ve got to the fans.”
It all comes down to these next three games.
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