Blue Jays “Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve” takes from the Wild Card Series

The Blue Jays have said their goodbyes for the year, cleaned out their lockers, and are off to their fall and winter ventures. I’ve taken a few days to let the tragic Wild Card nightmare simmer and dilute from the minds of all suffering Blue Jays fans, but now I’m going to hit it hard…

It’s undoubtedly a heavy disappointment for Blue Jay’s enthusiasts, whether you’re a fan, team employee, or writer; the internal pain is intolerable. Has defeat been a pattern in Toronto baseball? Absolutely. Are we used to this? Absolutely. What was different about this year was the expectations and hype surrounding the Blue Jays.

In one of the toughest divisions in baseball, this team was expected to win the American League East, while on paper, having one of the best starting rotations in the AL. The team’s offense was expected to be the best in the league, on paper; in fact, the Blue Jays held the highest batting average in the Major Leagues for a period of time. Keep in mind, the Blue Jays rank 11th of 30 teams in payroll this year; the Mariners rank 21st.

All of these expectations cooked in one pot, and burnt us all when that 8-1 blown lead pushed the Jays off the postseason cliff to elimination. The feeling was horrible, as postseason play in Toronto is scarce. This is what it probably felt like to be a Red Sox fan up until the 2004 season. Anyway, it’s over, and all we can do is dissect and move on. So, what should have happened in that series? Specifically on the mound?

Blue Jays: Postseason reflection on the series of heartbreak; let’s play “Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve”

I’ve spoken to a ton of baseball fans, minor league players, coaches, and journalists; each individual with an understanding of what went on in this series and what should have happened. Aside from the obvious, there were moves made that maybe weren’t the best at the time.

Alek Manoah would have been my first choice at game 1 of the series; I loved this pitcher in his college days, and I think he’ll be a legend in his Major League career. However, should Manoah have started game 1?

Despite his disregard for pressure, game 1 of the Wild Card series, in front of a 50,000 Rogers center crowd can change your dynamic. A change in dynamic in a best-of-3 series is not a change we’d be willing to chance.  Clearly, Manoah faced some nerves and came out of the gate fired up, which probably led to a lack of command early on. An early-game lapse is normal, however, three runs against you in the first inning, while your offense was completely shut down by an absolute gem from Luis Castillo, can set the tone for the series. I think your $110 million man should have been the game 1 starter, with Manoah in game 2.

Kevin Gausman is a veteran with an incredible repertoire; his experience in the league may have countered the high-stress environment. A game 1 start from Gausman may have set up a successful game 2 for Manoah. Would this have made a complete difference? Probably not; the Blue Jays couldn’t score a run off of Castillo, to begin with.

The next “could’ve, would’ve, should’ve” stems from game 2; Kevin Gausman leaving the game after 5.2 innings. Despite a minor jam, Gausman should have finished the inning, regardless of what the numbers say. The Blue Jays bullpen can be scary; in such a scenario, I’m keeping my multi-million-dollar man to finish his job, with the assistance of the defense.

The next “should’ve” piggyback from the same inning; if you’re going to pull your ace in an elimination game, you need to go to your next best guy. They should have gone to a starter, Ross Stripling or Jose Berrios. If I want to see Sunday, I have to win Saturday after dropping the first game. Of those two guys, one would have started on Sunday, if need be. I am not going to my unreliable bullpen mid-game, when I have arms in the rotation, actively ready to pitch that weekend. I’d be throwing one of those two guys, stringing it out to have Jordan Romano finish the game in one inning rather than two.

Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve… Baseball works in mysterious ways, and all we can do is reflect and throw some salt on the wounds until they heal over. I think John Schneider is a phenomenal manager with excellent baseball knowledge, and we all would have trusted his in-game decisions. As we move into the offseason, we’ll see where this experience will take this team.