Blue Jays ALCS Game 6 X-factors

Oct 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Price (14) throws against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning in game four of the ALDS at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

As the Blue Jays continue to play comeback in the ALCS, it’s time to profile a few players that could be the deciding factors in this game.  The Blue Jays have kickstarted their comeback and won 2 games in Toronto, but now the final games of the series will be played in Kansas City.  Let’s hope the Jays flip the 1985 series outcome on the Royals, cap this series off and go take on the Mets.  Here are the 5 X-factors that could spell a win for the Blue Jays.

David Price

The pitching has been the Blue Jays achilles heal throughout the playoffs.  David Price has the spotlight on him tonight to show what he is really made of.  We have seen glimpses of dominance from Price but have not gotten the whole picture since the regular season ended.  After becoming a Blue Jay at the trade deadline, Price would win 9 games, pitch 74.1 innings, post a 2.30 ERA, and strike out 87.  Now through the postseason thus far he is posted an ERA of 7.22 through 16.2 innings.  This is not the David Price we got used to watching since he was acquired.

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Price pitched excellent for much of his last start but had a couple rough innings.  Price allowed a single to Alcides Escobar to start the game but would go into lock-down mode and retire the next 18 batters.  There was not another base runner until the 7th inning which is where the issues began.  The Royals went on to shred the Jays in the 7th inning and scored 5 runs.  Yes, all of that was not Price’s fault, but there were plenty of problems that inning.  He is just the one that the box score blames as he was saddled with all 5 earned runs.  

Price performing in this game will be crucial to the Blue Jays success.  Toronto’s bullpen is thin, and John Gibbons would love to have Price pitch deep into this game.  This will go a long way to keeping the Royals hot bats cold if Toronto can have a full pitching staff at their disposal in game seven.  Look for the Price to be right this evening because he is one of the best pitchers in the game and should get plenty of support from a solid defense and offense.

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Oct 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello (15) hits a home run during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals in game five of the ALCS at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Colabello

Colabello has been one of the most underrated players on the roster this season.  He was claimed off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins and started the season with the Buffalo Bisons.  After batting .337 in 23 games with the Bisons he was brought up to the Jays were he continued to rake.  Colabello was expected to be just filler for the Jays but as he continued to produce it was hard to leave his bat on the bench.

Colabello found himself in 101 games for the Jays and played the majority as an extra outfielder.  He had played most of his career at first base, but with the Blue Jays struggling to find an everyday left fielder prior to the Ben Revere trade, he found a home there.  Colabello would go on to sport a solid .321 batting average and collected 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in his various roles for the Jays in the season.

Flipping the page to the postseason, Colabello has continued to show how good of a hitter he truly is.  So far in the playoffs he is batting .286 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI, and 3 doubles through 9 games.  Colabello has been getting pulled from the games in the late innings due to Justin Smoak having better defensive skills at first base, but Colabello has been playing well on both sides of the ball. He’s also providing a solid bat behind the A-list mashers.  With Revere, Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion at the top, Colabello’s contact bat has been valuable and provides further stress for opposing pitchers.  With Colabello being a sneaky threat in the 5-spot it makes pitchers think twice about walking Edwin.

His ability to hit to all fields keeps teams from placing extreme shifts on him and Colabello has shown the ability to hit with runners on.  The righty is batting a gaudy .329 with runners in scoring position this season.  That includes 5 doubles, 5 home runs, and 40 RBIs in 82 at bats in the situation.

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Oct 8, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Ben Revere hits a single against the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning in game one of the ALDS at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Ben Revere

For a player that batted .319 in a Blue Jays uniform once he was acquired from the Phillies at the trade deadline, he has been non-existant at the plate thus far this ALCS.  In the first round of the playoffs against the Rangers, Revere was a tough out.  He batted .307 with 2 steals and an RBI while scoring 3 runs in the ALDS.  Through 5 games against the Royals he is batting .158 and has scored 3 times.

Could the Royals just have Revere’s number and be exploiting it or has Revere slid into a slump?  For a batter that has as much speed as Revere and typically makes solid contact, I find it hard to believe that the Royals have figured him out. I am glad that he is finding a way to get on base to score some runs still and has been playing solid defense, but something has to give soon.

If Revere is getting on base in front of Mount Crushmore, Toronto’s entire game looks different.  When Revere is on base he is an instant distraction for pitchers.  This season he stole 31 bases and only was caught 7 times.  Since becoming an every day player he has stolen at least 22 bases a season.  Having that threat on the bases typically leads to more fastballs for the hitters waiting behind him.  With Toronto’s lineup being notorious for hurting fastballs, this is a welcomed side effect.  So not only are the batters seeing better pitches, but they have someone fast enough to score on the bases already.  Look for Revere to breakout of his slump tonight and get the game rolling early.

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Jun 13, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Liam Hendriks (31) delivers a pitch during the seventh inning of game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Blue Jays won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Middle Relief

If this game gets out of hand early for David Price, the bullpen will get taxed.  This is a must-win situation tonight, and I would imagine that if Price struggles, he will be on a rather short leash.  This would put the weight of the game on the likes of Liam Hendriks and Mark Lowe.

The two of them have had mixed postseasons this year but both have had career years in the regular season. Hendriks posted 5 wins, a 2.92 ERA, and 71 strikeouts over 64.2 innings.  Since his move to the pen, Hendriks has enjoyed some added velocity on his fastball that has complemented his secondary pitches nicely.  The greater variance in speed has led to more strike outs.  Mark Lowe has also enjoyed a good season, puting up a solid 1.96 ERA with 61 stirkeouts in 55 innings of work in total this season.

This combination in the middle of a game should be solid enough to keep the Blue Jays potent offense in the game if Price struggles.  There could also be some other assistance in the pen tonight in this do or die situation.  Do we see a guest appearance from R.A. Dickey or Marco Estrada?  That is possible due to the nature of this game.  I would hope that Stroman is not used, but who knows what could happen if things get off to a rocky start.  Look for Hendriks to be the primary long guy out of the pen if needed.  He pitched well in an extended outing his previous performance.  Lowe will be the bridge to the young tandem of Aaron Sanchez and Roberto Osuna.

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