The Toronto Blue Jays notched the most important win for the franchise in nearly 22 years when they defeated the New York Yankees last night to go 3.5 games ahead of the Bombers in the AL East. The latest rumors are now bound to focus on the team's postseason rotation.
After Marcus Stroman's outing last night, it appears as if he'll be a top candidate to start in the playoffs, which means R.A. Dickey or Mark Buehrle could be in danger of losing a spot in the postseason rotation.
Stroman was arguably the driving force in that victory after tossing seven scoreless innings and giving up just five hits and a walk. Since his remarkable return to the MLB following ACL surgery, the right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts and two of those wins have come against New York. He was expected to be one of the best young starters in the MLB this season and he has proved why thus far.
Marcus Stroman and Marco Estrada probably earned postseason rotation spots the last two nights -- which would mean Dickey or Buehrle out.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 24, 2015
"Since returning to the Blue Jays, Stroman has mixed and matched all six of his pitches, relying heavily on the sinker he developed midway through his breakout rookie season while flashing the wipe-out breaking pitches that got him to the majors and having unexpected success with his cutter," adds Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca.
However, manager John Gibbons declined to reveal his cast of starters for the postseason, which is leaving everything subject to rumors and speculation at this point.
"I think you need to wait until you get in," Gibbons said earlier this week, via Gregory Strong of CP24.com. "Because they're all pitching now anyway, nobody has been (taken out) of the rotation other than (Drew Hutchison).
"So they just need to keep pitching. That's the least of our concerns now."
Estrada, who came over in a trade this past offseason from the Milwaukee Brewers, has been an integral aspect of the team's rotation in 2015. The right-hander is 13-8 with a 3.13 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 32 games (26 starts), totaling 167 innings this season.
He figures to make the cut, especially after going 5-2 with a 2.45 ERA in his last 10 outings.
As for Dickey and Buehrle, the two haven't been as consistent as Estrada and they won't be as fresh as Stroman come playoff time. Dickey is 10-11 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 31 starts this year and Buehrle is 14-7 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 29 starts.
Here are their stats from their last 10 starts:
Dickey: 5-1 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.15 WHIP
Buehrle: 3-2 with a 4.74 ERA and 1.39 WHIP
Considering the Blue Jays already have David Price as their left-hander, Buehrle figures to be the odd man out based on his recent performances, but obviously things aren't set in stone and Gibbons may have a different plan in mind.
It's unknown who the Blue Jays' opponent will be in the ALDS (assuming they win the division) because the Kansas City Royals' recent slide has given Toronto the chance to take the No. 1 seed in the American League.
If they happen to grab the No. 1 seed, there's a good chance they'll face the Yankees in a five-game series. Here are all five starters' career MLB stats against New York:
Price: 13-7 with a 4.04 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 173 strikeouts in 31 games (30 starts)
Estrada: 1-2 with a 4.26 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 19 strikeouts six games (five starts)
Buehrle: 2-14 with a 6.03 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 22 starts
Dickey: 7-4 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 20 games (14 starts)
Stroman: 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in five starts
If Gibbons bases his decision off of these statistics, Buehrle is almost certain to be out of the four-man postseason rotation.
Stay tuned for updates on Toronto's pitching plans for the playoffs.
