The Blue Jays are back in the post-season for the second consecutive year. Here are the four biggest storylines as the team gets set to host the Baltimore Orioles in a one-game Wild Card showdown at the Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.
Was their September swoon a blip or a worrying sign?
The Blue Jays entered the month of September atop the American League East and on track to repeat as division champs but things soon spiraled of control, with the team compiling a 13-16 record the rest of the way and needing to win two of three against the Boston Red Sox during the last weekend of the season just to get into the playoffs. One of the biggest reasons for the rough patch was the Jays offence, which put up the second lowest run total in baseball in September (100) despite being a strength for most of the season. The team also saw its home run production nearly vanish with Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarncacion and company only going yard 24 times in September, good enough for 26th in the majors. The question ahead of Tuesday’s Wild Card game is simple. Which version of the Blue Jays will show up? The squad that had a top-ten offence and a penchant for crushing home runs or the one that stumbled through the month of September, seemingly forgetting how to hit in the process?
The potential end of the road for Encarnacion and Bautista in Toronto?
Tuesday night’s Wild Card game is a winner-take-all showdown and that means it could be the final game of the season for the Blue Jays and perhaps the end of the Toronto tenures of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The sluggers are both unrestricted free agents after this season and their as such their futures in Toronto are very much in doubt. Bautista famously told reporters in Spring Training that he had given Blue Jays management a salary number and that there would be no negotiation. Encarnacion, meanwhile, could be one of the biggest free agent targets in all of baseball and there have been numerous reports suggesting that the Boston Red Sox could be among the teams looking to acquire his services. If this is the end of the road for Bautista and Encarnacion they will go down as among the greatest Jays ever. Bautista was a six-time all-star and two-time home run champ in Toronto while Encarnacion was a three-time all-star who this year joined Bautista and Carlos Delgado as the only Blue Jays with multiple 40-home run seasons.
Will the Jays bullpen struggles tank bring about October heartache?
The bullpen was supposed to be a major strength of this Blue Jays team but instead it has become one of the biggest question marks facing the squad as it enters the playoffs. This year; the Jays relievers lost a total of 32 games, which was the second highest number of bullpen loses in the majors. Brett Cecil, who was among the Jays most reliable relievers in 2015, was among the biggest sources of frustration this year. Cecil ended up going 1-7 on the year, mostly recently giving up a two-run home run to David Ortiz on Friday that put the Jays once solid playoff position in jeopardy, albeit temporarily. The Jays bullpen will certainly have its hands full against the Orioles, as well, who have arguably the best closer in baseball in Zach Britton. Britton was a perfect 47 for 47 on save chances this year.
Rematch with the Rangers
If the Jays can beat the Orioles, they will advance to the American League Division Series where they would take on the Texas Rangers in a rematch of last year’s ALDS. To say there is no love lost between the Jays and the Rangers may not be doing it justice. The Rangers took exception to Bautista’s now iconic bat flip after hitting a game-winning three run home run in Game 5 of the ALDS and in May second baseman Rougned Odor punched Bautista in the jaw during the final regular season meeting between the two squads. The punch, which came after Bautista slid at Odor's legs in an attempt to break up a double play, prompted a bench-clearing brawl that resulted in a number of suspensions being handed out. Now, all these months later, a rematch could be near. Of course not everyone is gritting their teeth at a chance for revenge. Toronto Mayor John Tory was asked about the potential for bad blood with the Rangers on Monday and told reporters that he didn’t think there was any in the Blue Jays clubhouse. “Last time I checked we won that series,” he said.
