This is the first time since 2016 that the Blue Jays will host a postseason game at Rogers Centre. They welcome to the north the Seattle Mariners in an intriguing AL Wild Card Series. The winner gets to face the Astros in the next round. Here we'll discuss our Toronto Blue Jays AL Wild Card Series predictions as they take on the Mariners.
The old Skydome will be shaking and rocking throughout this series. Which team has the upper hand? Fortunately for the Blue Jays, the fact that they lost five of their seven head-to-head games this season has been shown to have minimal predictive value. The fact of the matter is the Blue Jays are the overwhelming favorite in this series.
Toronto entered the season as the favorite to win the American League East after a productive summer under general manager Ross Atkins, who took over after the 2015 season. However, they had some bumps early in the season that resulted in erstwhile manager Charlie Montoyo getting axed. Under interim manager John Schneider, though, the Blue Jays tracked to win 101 games, good enough for the top Wild Card slot.
Ahead of their playoff series against the Seattle Mariners, it’s time to check out our Toronto Blue Jays AL Wild Card Series predictions.
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3. Alek Manoah starts and wins Game 1
Alek Manoah is a rising young pitcher who is making a name for himself in baseball's most difficult division. On the other hand, Luis Castillo, the Mariners' ace, is in the midst of his career's second-best strikeout rate period. One might give Castillo the advantage in this matchup because of his higher velocity and strikeout numbers, but Manoah's season has been stronger overall.
We expect Manoah to start in Game 1 and to win it as well. That'll be very crucial for the Blue Jays because they will also have to hold their own against a formidable Seattle corps.
OFFICIAL: The Man(oah) takes the mound in Game One 😤 #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/8L2vANdYl3
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 5, 2022
Manoah enters the postseason as the AL Pitcher of the Month after posting a 0.88 ERA in six starts in September. Ross Stripling has shown he can shut down an offense with his clever stuff, while Kevin Gausman possesses a devastating fastball/splitter combo that has troubled lineups all year. In addition, if the game is close, the Blue Jays may turn to their shutdown closer, Jordan Romano, who has 36 saves this season. That includes an MLB-leading 19 one-run saves.
2. Offense will be deadly
Few offenses frighten pitchers more than Toronto's. Their lineup topped the American League in on-base percentage and OPS. Not surprising since they are headed by George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Blue Jays have a lot of talent, even if they've fallen short at times this season.
They ended with a league-best 118 weighted runs created plus metric and topped the AL in the majority of important offensive statistics. The lineup can score runs quickly and in a variety of ways. They are just as likely to string base hits together and destroy a team as they are to deliver a major blow with the long ball.
This season, the Blue Jays' 200 home runs ranked third in the American League. They have a lineup that can get on base one through nine, but Teoscar Hernández, who bats in the middle of the order, is the X-factor. With a 1.058 OPS (on-base plus slugging) over his previous 13 games, the right fielder has been on fire when it counts.
1. Blue Jays fly high toward Houston
The Blue Jays will celebrate this weekend because Seattle will be unable to neutralize their offensive firepower. Toronto has a powerful postseason rotation and a bullpen that has been able to shut out opponents on many occasions this season. However, this team centered around its offense, and when that offense is humming, the Blue Jays can defeat anyone.
On the other side, the Mariners appear all emptied out, or close to it. Take note of the following things they just went through: a doubleheader Tuesday, a flight across the country Wednesday, after an emotional series of games in late September when they didn't play well and had to deal with injuries. It has been an exhausting season for everyone, but more so for the Mariners. They might not have enough in the tank to withstand the Blue Jays on their home field.
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