The Toronto Blue Jays' momentum was derailed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a complete game and the Dodgers hit one home run after another, handing the Blue Jays a 5-1 loss to even up the series.
The Blue Jays won't be feeling a greater sense of urgency to win, as they are three victories away from winning the franchise's first World Series title since 1993. This means that all hands are on deck, and manager John Schneider is certainly operating as though this were the case. Prior to Game 3, Schneider admitted that every reliever should be available and that taking on a heavy relief workload should be fine at this juncture of the season.
“I think everyone will be able to throw three days in a row,” Schneider said, per Arden Zwelling of MLB.com. “Guys that can throw multiple innings are going to be important in these next three days.
Schneider will be valuing relievers who can go multiple innings the most, so even though it was Louis Varland who allowed the Dodgers to firmly put the game out of the Blue Jays' reach in the eighth inning of Game 2, it stands to reason that Varland will be one of the first pitchers he calls upon to relieve Max Scherzer, who's scheduled to start in Game 3.
The likes of Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer have also shown a consistent ability to throw multiple innings, with the former being a part of the starting rotation in the past.
The Blue Jays will have to operate with a great sense of urgency with every inning or at-bat that passes. The Dodgers leave no room for error for their opponents, and Toronto will have to push all the right buttons if they were to complete this upset against the reigning World Series champion.
Blue Jays look for Max Scherzer to turn back the clock
Scherzer has been elite in the World Series in the past. But he's 41 years of age and is pitching worse than ever. He did start for the Blue Jays in the ALCS and allowed the Seattle Mariners to score just two runs in 5.2 innings of work in a pivotal 8-2 win for Toronto in Game 4 of that series.
This Dodgers lineup is a different animal, however, so Scherzer will have his work cut out for him. The Blue Jays will be hoping that he has one last iconic performance left in him as they look to take a 2-1 lead in the World Series.
