Blue Jays, Twins trying to shed heavy baggage in AL wild-card conflict

MINNEAPOLIS – One workforce will shed some baggage on this wild-card collection, the Toronto Blue Jays with the frustrations of their wonky 2023 and burden of final 12 months’s post-season collapse towards the Seattle Mariners, or the Minnesota Twins and their 18 consecutive playoff losses.

The opposite, after all, will solely get mired deeper within the muck, so which one is ready to seize the chance in an American League with no apparent favorite is among the many intriguing subplots that can play out at Goal Subject.

There’s a freedom in flipping narratives or exorcising demons — nevertheless you wish to describe it — that each golf equipment are searching for as they search to max out their skills this October.

Watch Blue Jays vs. Twins in wild-card round on Sportsnet

The Toronto Blue Jays head to Minnesota to face the Twins in the best-of-three wild-card round. Watch every game on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning Oct. 3.

Watch Game 1 on Oct. 3

Watch Game 2 on Oct. 4

Game 3 on Oct. 5 (if necessary, time TBD)

.acf-block-preview .br-snippet {
show: grid;
grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
hole: 20px;
width: 100%;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 16px;
border: 1px strong #CECECE;
background-color: #FFF;
border-radius: 4px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-title {
colour: #343434;
font-family: ‘roboto’;
font-size: 20px;
font-weight: 600;
line-height: 22px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
prime: -3px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-body {
colour: #343434;
font-family: ‘urw-din’;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 20px;
margin-bottom: 12px;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-link-title {
show: inline-block;
font-family: ‘urw-din’;
font-size: 16px;
list-style-type: none;
width: auto;
}
.acf-block-preview .br-snippet-info .br-snippet-link-title:not(:last-child):after ‘;
colour: #343434;

“Yearly is a brand new 12 months, so that is clearly going to be lots totally different than years previous,” stated Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, who at 25 has already been by the pandemic-season sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays, the one-game-short heartbreak of 2021 and the sweep by the Mariners final 12 months. “However we expect we’re higher than what we’ve proven. So I feel that’s motivation to indicate that.”

Stated Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, unfairly burdened by a streak that dates again to 2004 and is generally the product of others: “We’ve talked about this on this stadium, this setting for some time. We all know that. Our guys know that. They’re conscious of the historical past of this group. I’ll inform you that the overwhelming majority of the gamers in that room haven’t been part of that over the course of that point. However they concentrate on what they will management, which is the sport proper in entrance of them. That’s been a trademark of this workforce all 12 months.”

A lift for the Twins ought to include shortstop Carlos Correa (plantar fasciitis) and third baseman Royce Lewis (strained hamstring) anticipated to play within the collection, though centre-fielder Byron Buxton (strained hamstring) shouldn’t be.

The Blue Jays, in the meantime, are planning to expire the identical roster they completed the season with and proceed to, within the phrases of Recreation 1 starter Kevin Gausman, “type of determine the kinks and put all of it collectively.” Projection fashions proceed to look favourably at their probabilities, with FanGraphs giving them a 57.3 per cent probability of advancing to the division collection and a 5.9 per cent probability of profitable the World Sequence, which is sixth among the many 12 golf equipment nonetheless enjoying.

.acf-block-preview .br-video-thumbnail::earlier than {
content material: “”;
place: absolute;
prime: 45%;
left: 50%;
remodel: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-moz-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-ms-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-o-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-webkit-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
width: 20px;
top: 0px;
border-top: 14px strong clear;
border-left: 22px strong #fff;
border-bottom: 14px strong clear;
margin-left: 3px;
}

Regardless of an oft-uneven 89-73 season, that ought to come as no shock, as Gausman appropriately factors out that “if you happen to have a look at our roster, talent-wise, you’ll be able to evaluate us to anyone within the league.”

“However expertise is barely going to take you to this point,” he added. “We undoubtedly haven’t essentially performed our greatest model of baseball all through 162 video games. I feel everybody would agree in there that there have been some collection and a few stretches the place we simply didn’t play effectively. The underlying perspective with all people was that (with what) we’ve got, what we’re able to (is) to win.”

The hole between expertise and final result, between projections and efficiency, has been an ongoing story for the reason that membership’s unexpectedly fast emergence right into a post-season contender throughout the pandemic summer time of 2020. A two-game sweep at Tropicana Subject throughout these playoffs wasn’t a shock however then the subsequent season, regardless of their three-home-field odyssey, the Blue Jays squandered a roster filled with peak-season gamers, undone by a flier-filled bullpen that simply value them a dozen wins.

Final 12 months, after all, the Blue Jays equally didn’t hit their stride till late within the season to complete within the prime wild-card spot, touchdown them what gave the impression to be a beneficial playoff matchup towards Seattle. However Luis Castillo shut them down within the first sport earlier than the still-gutting 10-9, Recreation 2 loss, through which they blew an 8-1 lead, ended their season, the Mariners partying on the Rogers Centre infield.

Within the wake of that setback, the Blue Jays entrance workplace prioritized run prevention and lineup diversification throughout the low season, with walk-year outfielders Teoscar Hernandez (Erik Swanson) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (with prime prospect Gabriel Moreno for Daulton Varsho) traded within the turnover.

This 12 months, they completed fourth within the majors with a 3.78 ERA, however at 746 runs, they had been 14th after sitting fourth with 775 a 12 months in the past, usually left pissed off following a detailed sport through which they had been a key hit brief.

“We noticed a possibility to enhance our defence, it wasn’t actually a response (to the Mariners loss) as a lot because it was, how can we enhance our workforce?” GM Ross Atkins stated of the strategy final low season. “And that was an space on the run-prevention facet. Didn’t wish to subtract, if any, if potential, from what the run-production facet was. Felt like we put collectively a extremely good run-scoring workforce. I do know that has ebbed and flowed this 12 months, however nonetheless really feel actually good about our probabilities to attain runs.”

.acf-block-preview .br-video-thumbnail::earlier than {
content material: “”;
place: absolute;
prime: 45%;
left: 50%;
remodel: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-moz-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-ms-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-o-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-webkit-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
width: 20px;
top: 0px;
border-top: 14px strong clear;
border-left: 22px strong #fff;
border-bottom: 14px strong clear;
margin-left: 3px;
}

That, after all, has been a difficulty that’s adopted the Blue Jays all season lengthy, and the sensation of so many video games slipping by their fingers has distracted from them ending with the American League’s fifth-best file regardless of enjoying within the absurdly deep East.

Nonetheless, a relentless query from trade rivals this 12 months has been some type of, why aren’t these guys hitting, underlining the obvious trade-off the Blue Jays made final low season and the brand new id, as a pitching-first membership that grinds for runs, they’ve needed to undertake.

On the similar time, the ultimate month was their best of the 12 months on the plate, with 143 runs in 28 video games, or 5.11 per outing, largely pushed by higher and extra well timed hitting, an space that had been maddeningly inconsistent.

Atkins stated “there’s no smoking gun that we will look to” as the explanation the offence hasn’t rolled the best way the membership projected internally. “Early within the 12 months, it was (hitting) with runners in scoring place. Then we had a bit little bit of a lull in energy. During the last couple of weeks, it seems to be just like the offence that we thought we might see in spring coaching. Hopefully, that seems to be the case on this collection and hopefully past that.”

If it doesn’t, then there’s the pitching and defence to fall again on, two parts which have been secure and productive all season lengthy for the Blue Jays, who over the previous few years have discovered lots of laborious classes.

“I simply assume our workforce is ready, and we’ve performed lots of shut video games all 12 months,” stated right-fielder George Springer. “And guys have discovered from what occurred final 12 months and in addition in 2020 and, then, all all through the season.”

What can the Blue Jays take from that?

.acf-block-preview .br-video-thumbnail::earlier than {
content material: “”;
place: absolute;
prime: 45%;
left: 50%;
remodel: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-moz-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-ms-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-o-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
-webkit-transform: translate3d(-50%, -50%, 0);
width: 20px;
top: 0px;
border-top: 14px strong clear;
border-left: 22px strong #fff;
border-bottom: 14px strong clear;
margin-left: 3px;
}

“That something can occur. Something can occur, does occur,” replied Springer, who left Recreation 2 towards the Mariners on a stretcher after a daunting collision with Bichette in shallow centre whereas chasing J.P. Crawford’s eighth-inning, game-tying, bases-loaded blooper. “It doesn’t matter. It’s one pitch, it’s one play, it’s one at-bat that may make the distinction. Clearly for myself, yeah, it’s a play that I’d have preferred to make. I didn’t and that’s on me. However on the finish of the day, I feel our workforce is provided to deal with a second like that. We’ll see what occurs.”

And so, for the Blue Jays and the Twins, they get at the least two video games to earn the best to play extra, to interrupt free from the previous, to hit their ceiling when it issues most, to have endured all they’ve endured and are available out higher for it.

“I do know our defence is superb and the pitching has been superb. I nonetheless assume that we’re a reasonably good offence, too,” stated Bichette. “You should do every thing effectively within the playoffs to win. And we sit up for seeing what we’re able to.”

Extra from Sportsnet

Canadian WBC star Julien looks forward to facing Blue Jays with Twins in playoffs

Blue Jays line up the ‘always so calm’ Gausman for opener vs. Twins

.acf-block-preview .br-related-links-wrapper {
show: grid;
grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
hole: 20px;
}

.acf-block-preview .br-related-links-wrapper a {
pointer-events: none;
cursor: default;
text-decoration: none;
colour: black;
}