The Red Sox are 16-5 this September entering Saturday’s action, a run which has propelled them far enough into the division lead that it’s safe to assume they’ll take the title.
Advertisement
A number of other American League pitchers continue to make compelling cases to members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) as to why they should be the 2016 AL Cy Young Award Winner.
Jose Bautista hits a three-run home run during the eighth inning Saturday. Liriano has struggled for most of the season posting an ERA over five, but has seen improved his play since being traded to the Blue Jays from the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this season.
Barring the unforeseen the Jays, at best, are headed to a wild card berth. Ninety-one of those home runs have come in clutch situations, with 68 being go-ahead dingers and 23 to tie the game. The victor advances to take on the American League’s top seed; the loser goes home.
“It’s not what you want”, manager Joe Girardi said. The wild card would be “nice?” Still, the Blue Jays slugger has one of baseball’s most risky bats. “The first two games here, we played really, really well”.
Cano delivered a sacrifice fly in the 12th inning as the Seattle Mariners avoided a sweep with 2-1 victory over Toronto on Wednesday, preventing the Blue Jays from extending their wild card lead. Potential opponents, from likeliest to unlikeliest based on the standings at the time this was published, include Detroit, Baltimore, Seattle and Houston.
And with the backing of a capacity gathering at Rogers Centre that was on its feet hollering its support, Grilli zipped a 94 mile-an-hour fastball past Butler for the big strikeout that set off his mini on-field celebration. “That’s the ideal setup”.
Once again, Joey Bats comes through in the clutch for the Blue Jays. In his 27 starts and 9-9 record this year, Estrada owns a 3.62 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP in 164 innings. That is all the Mariners would put up for runs however as they went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving 8 on base throughout the night.
TORONTO-The Yankees are not the only team playing at Rogers Centre this weekend with a player in contention for a major individual award. “I just managed to get the head out and I connected”. “I probably told him “wow” about five times when he was done”, Devon Travis said of the veteran pitcher.
But rather than lament what is unlikely to be, maybe it’s time to take a look at what was – a most unlikely playoff run to begin with – and what still might be, which is the return of CC Sabathia as a useful member of their starting rotation next season, the previous year of his contract. “The more you’re in them, the more you usually get good at them”.
Fourteen of Bautista’s 20 homers this season have been go-ahead shots.
“A lot of things have to go our way”, Clippard said of the bleak playoff hopes. With just over a week remaining in the regular season, it is nearly certain that the Red Sox will win the division, leaving the Blue Jays to play the one game wildcard game, which would likely be against division rivals the Baltimore Orioles.
We should have scored more. Do I feel better physically? Yes. “I think with what’s at stake, for sure, especially with the talent that’s in here”.
The achievement still resonates even though it’s generally understood the win statistic is an antiquated way of judging pitching performance.
Tulowitzki has a nine-game hitting streak against NY.
Happ, completing the first year of a three-year, $36-million contract in his second go round with the Blue Jays, credited pitching coach Pete Walker for helping with his success.
Toronto now has six players with 20-plus homers in a season for the first time since 2010.
Advertisement
“We’ve still got a chance, ” he said.
