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American League Championship Series - Blue Jays/Indians

plommer

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plommer Rockstar

plommer

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Bandwagon jumper?

 

we were born and raised in Toronto and lived there for 47 years from 1966 - 2013. I got to see and celebrate Toronto's two (2) World Series Championships in 1992 and 93.

 

I am a Toronto homer, always cheer for the Leafs and Bluejays - ALWAYS.

 

As a kid I was a popcorn vendor at the old Exhibition stadium in 1981 - 82.

 

I'm not a bandwagon guy, guy. I love Toronto. I'm pretty sure most guys here know this.

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plommer Rockstar

plommer

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VIDEO SIGN OUT

TSN Baseball Analyst Dirk Hayhurst breaks down the American League Championship Series with a look at how the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland stack up in offence, pitching and defence:

 

Offence

If you’ve followed the Blue Jays over the last few seasons, you know that a large part of what makes them so good is the home run. Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson andEdwin Encarnacion all can put baseballs in stands with regularity. In fact, in this postseason alone - which has been all of four games - the Jays have already launched 10 dingers.

 

The Blue Jays went deep 221 times this season - the most of any team currently in the playoffs. To put that in perspective, the Indians hit 185 homers during the regular season. However, the Indians scored 777 runs to the Jays’ 759. Additionally, the Indians smacked 308 doubles (the Jays had 276) and had almost 100 more hits overall than the Jays this season.

 

 
 
 
How could Travis, Liriano injuries affect Jays' roster decisions?

What's the latest on injured Blue Jays Devon Travis and Francisco Liriano? How could their injuries affect any roster decisions that have to be made? Why did the Jays elect to go with Marco Estrada in Game 1? Scott MacArthur weighs in.

 The conclusion you should draw from this is that the Indians manufacture runs, while the Blue Jays blast them. The 2016 Indians aren’t all that different from the 2015 Kansas City Royals, who were also a good run-manufacturing team. You can expect Cleveland to put the ball in play a lot, bunt, and play baton-passing baseball. Oh, and expect them to steal. They swiped 138 bags this season, or roughly three times as many as the Jays and good for the most steals in the AL.

 

Home run-anchored offences are potent, but streaky. If the Jays are hot, they’re an absolute juggernaut. If they’re not, the consistency of the Indians could prove insurmountable. Considering the Jays offence was even stronger last season then it is this season, one may feel the need to give the edge to the Tribe. But all indications seem to point to the Jays catching fire at the right time this postseason. If so, expect the homer count to keep rising.
 
Pitching

The Blue Jays have a slight edge in the starting pitching department, with four excellent choices no matter the occasion. Toronto has the best rotation in the AL, and it hasn’t shown signs of slowing down in the postseason. Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, andMarcus Stroman have all turned in excellent performances. Even though Aaron Sanchez’s first postseason start was a struggle, he only gave up three hits.

 

Cleveland has the second best starting staff in the AL, but that number can be a little misleading. The Indians aren’t quite as good now as they were earlier in the season, back when they had Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco in their rotation. Injuries to both of those pitchers turned the potential three-punch combination of Corey Kluber, Carrasco and Salazar into one really hard punch and a couple kicks in the shin byTrevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin, Mike Clevinger, et al.

 

Kluber is a legitimate Cy Young contender again this year. He’s the owner of a 3.14 ERA over 215 innings, with 227 strikeouts. The Jays should expect to see him twice in the series. While Kluber’s results against the Jays are limited and mixed, he has done a decent job of keeping them in the ballpark:
 

JAYS AGAINST KLUBER
 
 
NAME PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Josh Donaldson 19 16 6 0 0 1 5 3 2 .375 .474 .563 1.036 Edwin Encarnacion 16 15 3 3 0 0 2 0 2 .200 .188 .400 .588 Jose Bautista 10 9 3 1 0 0 4 1 2 .333 .400 .444 .844 Russell Martin 10 10 2 0 0 2 4 0 2 .200 .200 .800 1 Ezequiel Carrera 9 7 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .143 .250 .143 .393 Ryan Goins 8 6 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 .500 .625 .667 1.292 Michael Saunders 8 8 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 .375 .375 .625 1 Troy Tulowitzki 8 7 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .286 .375 .286 .661 Dioner Navarro 7 7 2 0 0 0 3 0 3 .286 .286 .286 .571 Devon Travis 7 6 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 .500 .571 .667 1.238 Kevin Pillar 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .200 .200 .400 .600 Josh Thole 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .333 0 .333 Melvin Upton 3 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 .333 .333 1.333 1.667 Darwin Barney 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .500 0 .500 Chris Colabello 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Justin Smoak 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
 
 

When Kluber starts, it will be a battle, but once it’s over, the Jays should have the upper hand the rest of the way as all of their starters out match their Cleveland counterparts.

 

As far as the bullpens are concerned, the Indians pen is strong, battle tested, and deep. Closer Cody Allen has 32 saves and a 2.38 ERA. Dan Otero, who has thrown more innings in relief than any other reliever in the American League, has a 1.53 ERA in 70.2 innings. And then there is former Yankee and power lefty, Andrew Miller, with his 97 mph fastball, and his 1.52 ERA. There are reports that Salazar will be pitching out of the pen as he continues to recover from his injury. If so, that’s yet another weapon in Cleveland's bullpen arsenal.

 

The Jays will have a tough time of it facing the Indians in later innings. Not only is their bullpen not as strong, it’s also not as well suited to handle Cleveland’s bench options. The Indians have four switch-hitters and three lefties in their lineup, making them a more versatile club.

Hayhurst: Jays don't match-up well versus Indians

TSN 1050 Blue Jays analyst Dirk Hayhurst joined the guys in studio to discuss the future of John Gibbons and Edwin Encarnacion, preview the ALCS, and the rotation order for the series.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The return of Francisco Liriano is very important for the Jays. He should be good to go by the time Game 2 of the ALCS comes. The Indians can mitigate a matchup advantage simply by batting at the other side of the plate, so what really matters are neutral splits and strikeouts. Liriano's ability to get a strikeout is what makes him so desirable, not to mention his ability to pitch up to five innings if needed. 

Defence
 
Both the Indians and Blue Jays have quality defenders with error totals, fielding percentages and outfield assists within fractions of one another.
 
Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor is amazing to watch and his defence is unparalleled. Toronto’s Troy Tulowitzki makes every play at the same position and does so sure-handed and clean. Lindor may not be as sure-handed, but he has the range to get to balls most mortal shortstops can’t. They are both excellent, which makes this a wash.

Cleveland infielders Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez are both strong defenders in their own right, and play defence comparable to Donaldson and Darwin Barney/Devon Travis. The outfield is the only place one might find a disadvantage for the Jays, and that depends largely on whether Bautista and Michael Saunders are in the field. Both had issues with their lower half this season, which has slowed them down and limited their range.
 
The bottom line:

This is a clash of two different brands of baseball. The Jays’ strong pitching staff and powerful offence make them a force to be reckoned with. The Indians’ versatility, strong pen, deep bench, and team balance make them excellent exploiters of opportunity. If the Jays strike early and their starters keep the rolling, they’re tough to beat. However, if the Indians can keep a noisy Jay’s offence quiet long enough to steal a few runs, they can pass a lead off to a capable bullpen. 

My money is on the Jays finishing this series in five or six games. One of their starters may be rusty because of the long layoff, but I think their offence is too potent and rotation too deep for Cleveland to overcome.  IN
 
 
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