In any sport, the playoffs are where the fiercest rivalries are forged. And with the Toronto Blue Jays making the post-season in 2015 for the first time in two decades, they were lucky (or unlucky, depending on your view) to procure two major adversaries.
We all know about the Texas Rangers, but it was the World Series champion–Kansas City Royals who got the better of the Jays in the end.
The two meet this week for the first time since last year’s American League Championship Series. Factor in their prior history—remember when Edinson Volquez said Josh Donaldson was “crying like a baby” last August?—and it’s a fair bet this series will bring playoff-like intensity to Rogers Centre.
Monday, July 4 — 7:07 p.m. ET
Edinson Volquez vs. Aaron Sanchez
Tuesday, July 5 — 7:07 p.m. ET
Chris Young vs. R.A. Dickey
Wednesday, July 6 — 7:07 p.m. ET
Ian Kennedy vs. Marcus Stroman
Wounded champs
Toronto will see a different Kansas City lineup than the one it faced in October. Blue Jays–killer Ben Zobrist departed as a free agent to join the Chicago Cubs, heart-and-soul leader Mike Moustakas is out for the year with a torn ACL and all-star centre-fielder Lorenzo Cain was just placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hamstring strain.
Alex Gordon missed a chunk of time this season with a broken bone in his right wrist and looks like he may be suffering lingering effects. The veteran is hitting .229 (8-for-35) in nine games since his return.
Despite the injuries, the Royals are very much in contention thanks in large part to the sizzling Kendrys Morales, who’s been carrying the offence of late. Over his last 14 games the designated hitter is batting .531 with seven home runs, 21 RBIs and an unreal 1.650 OPS.
Battle of the brains, part II
Tuesday’s matchup between Chris Young and R.A. Dickey is a rematch of Game 4 of the ALCS, which pitted two of the more intellectual pitchers in baseball against each other.
The Royals teed off on Dickey in that affair, forcing the knuckleballer out of the game in the second inning en route to a 14–2 win that secured a 3–1 series lead. Young held the Blue Jays offence down over 4.2 frames before giving way to the vaunted Royals bullpen (which is still great, by the way, leading the majors this season with a 2.80 ERA).
There’s reason to believe things could go better for Toronto this time around, though. Since the start of May, Dickey has posted a solid 3.32 ERA and held opponents to a .238 average. Young, on the other hand, has been wildly inconsistent in 2016—he’s sporting an atrocious 6.24 ERA and has surrendered an MLB-worst 22 home runs in just 57.2 innings. On average, that’s about one homer allowed every 2.2 innings, which may have Blue Jays hitters licking their lips come Tuesday.
All-stars and stripes
MLB’s all-star rosters will be announced Tuesday night, which is significant because Royals manager Ned Yost, who’s also skipper of the AL squad, will be in town. It’ll be interesting to see which Blue Jays Yost has gained respect for and selects to compete at the Midsummer Classic.
Yost takes his role as all-star manager seriously and has reportedly kept a board with the names of AL players in his office for weeks as he’s mulled over a potential roster. The stakes are high, after all, as the winning league gets home-field advantage in the World Series—something the Royals have benefited from the last two Octobers.
Several Blue Jays deserve all-star consideration, most notably Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and Roberto Osuna.
Another selection to keep an eye on: John Gibbons. Will Yost choose his Blue Jays counterpart to join the AL coaching staff?
Measuring stick for Stro
After enduring the worst stretch of his brief career, Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman looked like he’d finally turned a corner in his last start, an excellent 6.2-inning, one-run effort against the Cleveland Indians. That came on the heels of an eight-game span in which he allowed 38 runs and 67 hits in just 45.1 innings.
Wednesday’s series finale presents Stroman with an opportunity to build on his progress. The 25-year-old has thrived in big games and will likely welcome the chance to measure himself against the defending champs. Getting Stroman on the right path has become even more crucial to the Blue Jays considering the uncertainty surrounding right-hander Marco Estrada’s wonky lower back.
Cecil factor
Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil missed the ALCS after sustaining a torn a calf muscle in the division series against the Rangers. His absence was lamented by manager John Gibbons because it created a trickle-down effect in the Toronto bullpen; Cecil could have been a difference-maker against what was a lefty-heavy Royals lineup.
The 30-year-old struggled to begin this season and was sidelined over a month with a lat tear. Since his return on Thursday however, Cecil’s shown promise, retiring all four Cleveland hitters he faced.
He says he gained a better feel for his curveball during rehab assignments in the minors and that could be a factor this series as the southpaw may be called upon to neutralize left-handed hitters Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon.
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