Series Preview: Blue Jays Coast Through Tampa Bay

Oct 1, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher J.P. Arencibia (40) is congratulated by relief pitcher Alex Colome (37) and teammates as they beat the Miami Marlins at Tropicana Field.Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Miami Marlins 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Across the Diamond: Tampa Bay Rays

Oh, how the not-so-mighty-but-run-so-well Rays have fallen…fallen into a three way tie for 3rd in the division heading into the final 3 games of the season. You gave it your all….your numbers were enough to keep your team above average in most categories. Why, then, did you finish so lousy? With that pitching and some pretty decent hitting you should be nipping at the heels of the Blue Jays. Now, the Rays are playing for spots next year or even to play spoiler this year.

Tampa will continue to improve if the team keeps producing such amazing homegrown talent, especially on the pitching side. The loss of Joe Maddon seems to have made one heck of a difference, but surprise hire Kevin Cash has done a pretty decent job in his first year as manager. For Jays fans, you may remember he had a few cups of coffee as a Blue Jays catcher. Watch for the Rays to make great strides next year and become relevant again…now if they could just get a decent stadium…and some fans to appreciate how consistently decent they have been.

Next: Game 1 Matchups: Go Buehrle!

Sep 30, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (left) has beer poured on his head during the celebration of winning the A.L. East division after game two of a double header in the visiting locker room at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Toronto Blue Jays clinched the division after game one of the double header. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Mark Buehrle (14-7, 3.76 ERA) vs Erasmo Ramirez (11-6, 3.65 ERA)

Here’s hoping Buehrle can get himself deep into this game. Getting a complete game is not out of the question but it will be difficult. He is 8.2 innings shy of 200 for a 15th consecutive season. It has already been tossed around the clubhouse that if he gets himself deep enough into this game that he may get a shot at getting the remaining innings out of the bulpen on Sunday.

Betsided

Considering he is kind of on the outside looking in at the post season rotation this would be a nice way to end the season…especially if he retires as some think he might.

Ramirez has been a pleasant addition to the Rays rotation. He isn’t overpowering but he does know how to keep the ball down as evidenced by his 1.11 GO/AO which is by far his best ratio in his 4 year major league career.

His WHIP is great at 1.10, so it will be interesting to see if he can go into the offseason on a high note or if the vaunted Blue Jaus offense might try to make it a little more unpleasant. He certainly has put himself into the discussion as one of the Rays top 5 arms.

Next: Estrada Looks to Take Down Archer in Game 2

Sep 28, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada (25) pitches during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.15 ERA) vs Chris Archer (12-13, 3.26 ERA)

Estrada continues his magical season. He has given up 3 or less runs in 22 of 27 starts this season and owns the 5th best ERA in the American League.

Coming off his much discussed 29 homers given up in 2014 season, he didn’t seem to be an equal piece for fan favourite Adam Lind. Well, it has worked out well for both teams as one of the most beneficial trades of 2015. Estrada should be a shoo- in for the post-season rotation…dependent on how John Gibbons wishes to approach things. Let’s hope he finishes the 2015 regular season on a high note and makes it that much more difficult for Gibbons to keep him out of the post-season roation.

Chris Archer. Man, the Blue Jays lit him up at Rogers Centre. That isn’t good going into this game. Archer was a fringe Cy Young candidate going into that outing but it effectively took him right out of the running (and it didn’t help David Price….darn it…). Archer is still one of the best pitchers in the majors and has solidified himself as the clear number one option for the Rays going into 2016.  Going into this last start of the season he has 207 innings pitched and 246 Ks. That’s approaching Clayton Kershaw territory. This should be a great game to those who will be watching.

Next: Game 3 Should Prove Interesting

Sep 30, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Toronto Blue Jays celebrate winning the A.L. East division after game two of a double header in the visiting locker room at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Toronto Blue Jays clinched the division after game one of the double header. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: TBD vs Matt Moore (2-4, 5.84 ERA)

TBD. Not the favourite thing to see for the last game of the season. The starter will depend on how the first two games go and how close the Blue Jays are to securing playoff home field advantage. If it gets secured ahead of time, then it may be a parade of 1 or 2 innings guys like in spring training with Buehrle getting a few innings if needed.

If it isn’t secured, it will all depend on how things shake down for the way Gibby wants to set up his starters going into the playoffs. Hutchison? Dickey? Hendriks? Francis? A lot of options and none secured down just yet…we’ll keep you posted.

Matt Moore has been in and out of the rotation for the last 4 seasons when he hasn’t been injured. When he is right, he has a great fastball with late life on it and has had some measured succes in the majors. He is a guy definitely looking towards 2016 with this start, hoping he can secure himself a consistent spot in the rotation.

He has the capabilities to do it….as long as he stays healthy. He hasn’t come back too strong this season so look for the Blue Jays to take it to him and send him to the showers early.

Next: Can Edwin Make History?

Sep 28, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) hits a solo home run during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Player to Watch

Well there is probably not much to watch at this point but as stated before, but Edwin is three homers shy from 40 and making some history in the process. There isn’t much else to look for other than the team trying to lock up home field advantage throughout the entire playoffs. If you think they will take a breather now like the rain-soaked game yesterday then you will be sorely mistaken. Also, look for Mark Buehrle to go long in the first game to give him a shot at coming out of the pen on Sunday to reach 200 innings pitched for the 15th straight season. I hope he gets there. Class act all the way.

Prediction

Tough to say. I was hoping the jays would finish with 96 wins to finish up 30 games over .500 but that went out the window with the two losses in Baltimore. I see a sweep. They will need some rythym going into the post season so there will be no taking any more days off. If they can beat Archer the way they did at Rogers Centre then a sweep is definitely a possibility. Why not? 95 wins…here they come.

Next: So Who Tosses The Ceremonial First Pitch in the Playoffs?

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