TORONTO – A sweep of the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series provides the Toronto Blue Jays with the gift of time, something they plan to use when it comes to setting their rotation and resting injured players.
Marcus Stroman would have started a Game 4 against the AL West champs if needed but that doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily start Friday’s American League Championship Series opener versus the Cleveland Indians.
The Blue Jays can bring back Aaron Sanchez on normal rest, J.A. Happ with one extra day or Marco Estrada on seven days of rest should they choose, and the internal discussions are already underway.
"Fortunately now we can control it more than most," general manager Ross Atkins said during a conference call Monday evening. "I think what we’ll do is take our time, not too much, to make sure we’re not disrupting routines, to think through it extensively and make sure we’re putting our best foot forward for not only this series, but moving beyond, making sure we’re thinking of every angle. We haven’t decided yet."
While there is no imminent pressure to settle things, the Blue Jays do need to be mindful of having their starters endure too long a gap between outings. Stroman last pitched in last Tuesday’s wild-card game and he’d be on nine days of rest if he started Game 1 of the ALCS.
Letting them linger too long could be costly.
"The sooner we decide, the sooner we can set up more structure for them," said Atkins.
That concern applies to the roster as a whole, and while the rest is welcome in some corners – everyday players Russell Martin, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion have all carried a heavy load, as have relievers Roberto Osuna, Jason Grilli and Joe Biagini – there are concerns that the break may be disruptive for a team that’s won six straight games.
For that reason, Atkins said he wouldn’t have minded if the ALCS started sooner.
"I feel like our team is benefitting from some momentum, I feel like there are a lot of positives to how our team is playing cohesively, our hitters are turning the lineup over a little bit better than they were at the end of the season. So there would be some benefit to playing in the next couple of days," he said.
"But at the same time, there are going to be benefits to giving a little bit more rest to our bullpen, being able to set up our rotation from an ideal standpoint. And Russell Martin and Tulo and Josh Donaldson have been pushing through and playing every day with day-nights, and we could have been potentially playing today at 1 p.m. There are pros and cons to both and what you focus on is the situation and the challenges that you have and that’s what we’re focused on. We’ll try to minimize the downside as much as we can."
After Sunday’s wild 7-6, 10-inning win, Martin said he didn’t see any drawbacks to getting some extra rest, instead saying it could do the team some wonders. He came out of the day off between Games 2 and 3 to deliver his first hit of the ALDS, a solo homer off Colby Lewis in the first.
Donaldson noted that the potential for a break was a topic of discussion as the Blue Jays flew from Arlington to Toronto for Game 3.
"I’m not saying that we were looking past Texas, but we said, ‘Hey, man, if we were able to kind of win in a shorter series right here, it would give us a little bit of time for some of the guys on our team to kind of heal up a little bit,’" he said Sunday. "We’re going to celebrate and have a good time, but then it’s going to go back into recovery mode."
Also in recovery mode are second baseman Devon Travis (right knee) and reliever Francisco Liriano (concussion), both of whom made progress Monday, according to Atkins.
Travis was nearly subbed off the Blue Jays roster before Game 3, a move that would have left him ineligible for the next round, but Monday he performed some load-bearing exercises.
"We’re optimistic … feeling better and better about him to be part of the ALCS, which is why we didn’t replace him," said Atkins. "We were optimistic that he would turn the corner and it seems like he is, but it’s not definite that he’s going to be playable. But we feel very good about it. Today was his best day."
Liriano, meanwhile, made a vast improvement over Sunday, when he was sent home early after not feeling well. The Blue Jays replaced him on the roster Saturday with Danny Barnes but because he’s in MLB’s concussion protocol, he can return in time for Game 2 of the ALCS.
"He had an awesome day today," Atkins said of Liriano. "He came in and was able to do some physical activity with no symptoms which is a very positive sign."
The Blue Jays went into last year’s ALCS against the Kansas City Royals without a break after rallying from a 2-0 series deficit to beat the Rangers in five. They then fell behind 2-0 to the eventual World Series champions before falling in six.
This time, they’re on a very different route.
