|
One hundred games into the season, the Toronto Blue Jays were 50-50 and the Texas Rangers were 48-52. Neither team appeared to be going anywhere. Toronto wound up with 93 wins, the most ever by a team that was .500 or worse through 100 games. The Rangers won 88 and are now a dangerous team on a roll. They will play in an American League Division Series, one that is likely to feature a lot of runs and a couple of really wild crowds. The Blue Jays will play their first playoff game since Joe Carter hit a home run to end the 1993 World Series. The Rangers will try again to win their first World Series in team history. Here are five questions. 1. Can anyone slow down the Toronto offense? The Blue Jays are relentless. They scored 127 more runs than the next-highest-scoring major league team, the largest gap since the Brooklyn Dodgers outscored the New York Yankees by 154 runs in 1953. The Blue Jays scored 10 or more runs in a game 26 times; the Rangers were next at 17. The Blue Jays will take a walk, but what separates them from most teams is they will attack early in the count, and unlike most other teams, will ambush first-pitch fastballs. There is no letup in their lineup, and that 40-home run middle of the order -- Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion -- is a nightmare for opposing pitching staffs. The Jays beat the Rangers four times in six games this year, scoring a total of 34 runs.
2. How will the Rangers line up their rotation? Yovani Gallardo will start Game 1. He made two starts against Toronto this season, winning both games as he threw 13 scoreless innings and allowed six hits. Cole Hamels will pitch Game 2 on full rest. That way, Hamels will be in position to start Game 5, if necessary. Derek Holland will start Game 3. He has made 13 postseason appearances, four starts, and is 3-0 with a 3.79 ERA. The Rangers' rotation wasn't particularly effective down the stretch. That will have to change if they are going to advance.
3. Do the Blue Jays have a weakness? Not a glaring one, but they do have a rookie closer in Roberto Osuna. He is the third rookie in the past 34 years to lead a division-winning team in saves, and he does have overpowering stuff, but he's 20 years old. And you never know how a young, inexperienced pitcher might react in his first postseason. But, with veteran relievers such as LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe and Brett Cecil, as well as other power arms such as Aaron Sanchez, the Jays will have help if Osuna labors. They will need help against the Texas offense. After Toronto's lineup, the Rangers have the most dangerous offense in the AL playoffs.
4. How tired is the Texas bullpen? It looked weary that final Saturday of the regular season when the Rangers became the first home team since June 2012 -- a span of 1,762 major leagues games -- to lose a game that it led by four or more runs entering the ninth inning. Shawn Tolleson, who has been so good since taking over the closer role in mid-May, was working for the fifth straight day that Saturday. Sam Dyson and Keone Kela, also terrific lately, were gassed by Sunday afternoon. With several days' rest, that pen should be invigorated. Remember, it had the best bullpen ERA from Sept. 1 to the end of the season.
5. What can we expect from the Blue Jays' rotation? Two months ago, Toronto didn't have a truly reliable No. 1 or No. 2 starter for the playoffs, but now they have both. David Price is 1-5 with a 4.50 ERA and seven homers allowed in 40 innings in his postseason career, but he is throwing now with a great vitality. He is throwing "better than I have ever seen him,'' one scout said. Now the Jays have a pitcher who can potentially dominate any lineup. And miraculously, they will have another power pitcher, Marcus Stroman, to start Game 2. He wasn't supposed to pitch again this season after tearing up his left knee while fielding a bunt in spring training. And yet here he is, dealing again. He is 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA and has issued only six walks in 27 innings.
Blue Jays in five.
|
