Jays Move On To Face Texas
The Toronto Blue Jays walked off against the Baltimore Orioles tonight. In a game that was unsurprisingly decided by who outslugged who, the Jays hit an early home run with Jose Bautista and eventually led to the extra inning walk off for Edwin Encarnacion.
The kicker: Zach Britton, the best reliever in baseball, did not see the field once.
This win means the Jays will run into Texas to face the Rangers. The matchup to me says that this will be a sweep for Texas, but lets break it down a little bit.
The Rangers and Jays both have gamers when it comes to pitching. In Texas they have Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels, both of which are aces in their own terms, and Martin Perez. For Toronto they have Marcus Stroman (who has HUGE kahones after tonight), J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman. All of those pitchers have playoff history, with the Rangers having a slightly deeper history than others. I'd give the edge to the Rangers, but I would not count Toronto out if it comes down to who's next to step up.
When it comes to who's at the plate, both teams have ridiculous power. The Rangers have arguably one of the best offenses in baseball, with Adrian Beltre, Ian Desmond, Rougned Odor, and recently added Jonathan Lucroy in the lineup. One through Nine in the lineup is no joke, and could lead to a big mess if Jays pitchers let things run out of control. The Blue Jays lineup is much of the same, with Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, and Edwin Encarnacion leading the charge. Both lineups are solid one through nine, and it wont be easy for either team to keep the ball in the park. Expect the ball to fly in the dry Texas air, and for it to soar in the warm dome in Toronto.
Let's settle in for perhaps one of the best playoff series' this postseason, and watch the ball fly.