The Blue Jays kept their season alive Wednesday afternoon, avoiding a sweep with a much-needed 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. Toronto enters the final nine games of the regular season at 76-77 and two games back of the final AL Wild Card spot, making this weekend’s series in Texas absolutely massive.
On game 154 preview of Flight Deck, Dan Riccio breaks down a vintage performance from Max Scherzer. The 42-year-old gave Toronto five innings of one-run baseball, allowing just three hits and three walks as the Blue Jays finally snapped Detroit’s six-game winning streak and avoided a disastrous sweep at Rogers Centre.
Toronto also took advantage of a sloppy afternoon from the Tigers, who committed three errors. Myles Straw and Brett Bateman each finished 2-for-4, while the Jays added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth to finally give the pitching staff some breathing room. Louis Varland earned his 34th save after Josh Smith made a huge leaping catch to help Toronto escape a tense ninth inning.
Now the playoff race gets even more interesting. The Blue Jays and Rangers enter tonight with identical 76-77 records, and both clubs sit two games outside of the final Wild Card position. Texas had won four straight before blowing a 3-0 lead in Thursday’s 4-3 loss to Boston, meaning this weekend could effectively eliminate one of these teams from serious contention.
Looking ahead, Dylan Cease gets the ball for Toronto in one of the biggest starts of the season. Cease enters at 11-5 with a 2.38 ERA and 236 strikeouts. He was excellent in his last outing, allowing just one run over five innings while striking out nine against Baltimore in Toronto’s 8-1 victory.
Texas counters with Kumar Rocker, who enters at 5-11 with a 4.54 ERA and 132 strikeouts. Rocker has struggled over his recent stretch, posting a 6.16 ERA across his last seven appearances, but he’s also coming off a solid outing against Arizona in which he allowed only one run over four-plus innings.
Dan will also look at what has essentially become a nine-game sprint to the finish. Toronto is chasing Chicago and Cleveland in the crowded Wild Card picture, while Texas still has both Wild Card and AL West hopes hanging in the balance. With the Jays and Rangers sitting on identical records, there is almost no room left for either team to give games away.
Can Cease deliver another ace-level performance, can the Blue Jays offence build off Wednesday’s win, and can Toronto take the first step toward climbing back into a playoff spot?
We finish with Dan’s picks presented by bet365.
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