The Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays know each other pretty well, having played each other nineteen times this season. These AL East rivals will compete for a spot to play the Texas Rangers in the ALDS. Who will advance?
A Case for the Orioles
Starting Chris Tillman for tonight’s game was an obvious decision for Baltimore as he is pitching on normal rest and proved to be the team’s most reliable starter. He finished the season with a 3.77 ERA with 140 strikeouts. The team will have to hope that he is 100 percent healthy as he missed time at the end of the season with shoulder soreness and knocked the velocity on his fastball below normal. If Tillman does not have it and the Orioles have to turn to their bullpen early, Baltimore still has a good chance of winning as their bullpen has been solid for the most part. The Orioles have one of the best setup men and closers in the game in Brad Barch and Zach Britton, respectively.
The Orioles also could win this game if none of their pitching staff has a good day because they are an offense made up of guys that can knock the ball out of the park. Baltimore led the American League in home runs this season with a lineup that features Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Mark Trumbo. This team will definitely score runs and their pitching looks to be solid.
A Case for the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays made an interesting decision when the team decided Marcus Stroman would start tonight’s game. Rolling the dice on Stroman could work out for Toronto. He did produce the highest ground ball percentage in the American League and the Orioles hit their fair share of ground balls. If Stroman is able to get Orioles’ batters to ground into double plays, it won’t be as nerve-wracking if he surrenders a few hits. The Blue Jays will keep him on a short leach, but will definitely be hoping that they can get at least six solid innings out of their starter. Toronto’s bullpen has not looked very good this season with the team losing Joaquin Benoit for the season. The team does have one of the better closers in the league Robert Osuna, so the goal for Toronto’s pitchers is to hand him the ball in the ninth with a lead.
The Blue Jays have one of the most high powered offenses in the entire league. A lineup that boast Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Josh Donaldson should speak for itself. This team is always a threat to score runs and will likely do so tonight.
