Blue Jays hit the road looking to Buck the Orioles

Sep 27, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays players mob third baseman Josh Donaldson (20, red sunglasses) at home plate after he hit a walk off home run in the ninth inning to give the Jays a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays hit the road on Monday to begin their final seven-game road trip of the season in Baltimore against the rival Orioles. With a playoff spot already in hand, the Blue Jays will look to wrap up the American League East before ultimately hunting down the Kansas City Royals for top spot in the A.L. and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Baltimore’s season has mirrored some of those from recent Blue Jays memory, as they stayed involved in the playoff race through the early stages of the season before falling back towards a sub-.500 level. Now sitting at 76-79 and third in the A.L. East, Baltimore has long since set their sights on 2016.

The tension between these two teams should make for great baseball, however, and the playing field has a way of levelling itself in late September as players fight for jobs, contracts and pride. While the Orioles rank in the middle of the pack in terms of runs scored and in the bottom third of the MLB in cumulative team batting average, they remain a constant power threat as their 204 home runs trail only the Blue Jays, Astros and Yankees.

Eyes will also be on Troy Tulowitzki this series, as the injured Blue Jays shortstop looks to return to the lineup before the club flies to Tampa Bay. Doing so would allow Tulo to regain some level of timing over a three-to-four game stretch before playoff baseball begins.

Let’s get you started by previewing this week’s pitching matchups…

Next: Game 1 Preview: Tillman just wants this to stop

Sep 22, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada (25) pitches against New York Yankees in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Monday, September 28th  –  7:05 ET
Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13)  vs.  Chris Tillman (10-11, 5.16)

Estrada takes the hill in the series opener with his final opportunity to nail down a spot in the playoff rotation, although that’s already been well taken care of in my books. The right-hander is coming off 6.2 inning start against the Yankees where he allowed two earned runs on six hits and threw 8.0 shutout innings against the Atlanta Braves in his appearance prior to that.

Arm fatigue continues to be a quiet concern with Estrada, but as of right now, that’s looking for worry in a spot where there is none. Let’s wait to see it first, shall we? One area that Estrada will need to clean up is his control, as the changeup specialist has allowed three or more walks on three of his past six trips to the mound.

Chris Tillman probably just wants 2015 to end, but he won’t escape without facing the Blue Jays one last time. The big right-hander has struggled mightily this season, and while he’s managed to limit the batted-ball damage to some extent over his past two starts, he’s walked three batters in each. When Tillman and the Blue Jays last met, they roughed him up to the tune of six runs on eight hits over 3.0 innings.

Next: Game 2 Preview: The Stro Show hits the road

Sep 23, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (6) congratulates catcher Russell Martin (55) on his three run home run in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday, September 29th  –  7:05 ET
Marcus Stroman (3-0, 1.89)  vs.  Miguel Gonzalez (9-11, 4.85)

The Stro Show takes its act to Baltimore for the Tuesday game, where Stroman will make his fourth start since returning from a torn ACL. Initially a question mark for the playoff rotation, Stroman has quickly emerged as the number two option behind Price (though he may not pitch in game two, given the presence of R.A. Dickey who could benefit more from a home start).

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For Stroman, this is still about looking “normal”, nothing more. His return has been extremely impressive and the young right-hander has shown no signs of slowing down, so another quality start here is all Toronto needs to see. In his last trip to the mound, Stroman shut down the New York Yankees for 7.0 innings, striking out five and allowing just five hits.

Gonzalez will be making his first start since being activated from the DL with a shoulder injury he suffered nearly a month ago, and recently threw a simulated game without any setbacks. Things really hadn’t been going well for the right-hander before the injury hit, and the Orioles may choose to proceed with caution on his pitch count.

Next: Game 3 Preview: Old vs. Young

Sep 25, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) throws a pitch during the first inning in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday, September 30th  –  7:05 ET
R.A. Dickey (11-11, 4.00)  vs.  Kevin Gausman (3-7, 4.49)

The veteran knuckler mans the hill for Toronto’s hump day affair in Baltimore, and after a season that started out poorly, he’s fought back to give himself an opportunity at a sub-4.00 ERA with a quality outing. Dickey is 5-1 over his last 10 starts, as well, which has rejuvenated a rather lopsided win-loss record.

Much like fellow greybeard Mark Buehrle, Dickey can find himself in lengthy hot and cold stretches. Thankfully for the Blue Jays, their starter seems to be clicking at the right time with the playoffs on the horizon. Wednesday will be a test, though, as Dickey has not performed well on the road this season. Toronto needs to have confidence that Dickey can still work his knuckleball in October when forced to pitch outdoors and in the elements.

Kevin Gausman will counter for Baltimore, and while the right-hander possesses a great deal of talent and potential, 2015 has been unkind to him. He’s had his moments in the rotation since moving out from the bullpen, but in his last two starts, he’s again run into trouble. Gausman allowed five earned runs over 5.0 innings against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, walking three batters.

Next: Game 4 Preview: Price hunts for 19th win