The Blue Jays won against the Red Sox yesterday, giving John Schneider’s men a better chance of hosting playoff games at home.
It’s the Jays’ last big challenge this season.
The manager may say that pitcher Alek Manoah shouldn’t pitch Game #162 (Wednesday) if home-field advantage is still in play, but I have a feeling the guys really don’t want to take a chance on this. effect.
After all, Manoah is BY FAR the Blue Jays’ best pitcher and whether Friday’s game is home or away, he’s the one to pitch. It cannot be used on Wednesday…
Let’s talk about the chances of seeing Toronto play at home next Friday. Are the odds good against the Rays and Mariners, clubs whose place in the playoffs is assured, but who will have to work hard to get the advantage of the field?
First of all, here is the ranking in the American at the moment.
As we can see, the Rays are in a bad position and it’s not today’s game against Houston that will help them.
Even if Boston (three games) is on the menu afterwards, I think it’s safe to say that Tampa will not be “lucky” to host wild card series games at the old Trop.
But as far as the Mariners are concerned, it’s not a foregone conclusion.
Because the Mariners have the tiebreaker advantage over the Jays, Toronto needs to be at least one more win than its rivals to play at home.
But the good news is that the Jays are in a strong position.
When we look at end-of-season scenarios, the Jays (one game against Boston and three against the Orioles) have a good chance of finishing ahead of Seattle if the club does what it has to do: win games at the end of the season. season.
The Jays, who have been on the road for a year and a half and haven’t played a playoff game in Toronto since 2016, really seem to understand more than most the importance of playing playoff games at home. It shows when you hear the guys talking.
With a .400 record (2-2), John Schneider’s men would force the Mariners to a 4-1 record by the end of the season.
Because yes, Seattle has five games left to play this year. It will be against bad opponents (one against Oakland and four against Detroit), which will help the club.
That said, Seattle will have a doubleheader on Tuesday against Detroit, which isn’t optimal, and the club’s best pitchers won’t necessarily be available, which will complicate the task.
Toronto won’t be able to secure home-field advantage today. It’s at least Monday that we’ll know – hopefully for Toronto.
But don’t expect an answer until Tuesday…or even Wednesday, when all the teams will play Game #162 around 4 p.m. ET.
- Aaron Judge will have the chance to hit his 62nd at home. If he doesn’t do it today, he will have to do it on the road.
- The Blue Jays roster of the day.
