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The Seattle Mariners returned to the ALCS for the first time since 2001 with a 15-inning win over the Detroit Tigers to close out the ALDS on Friday night.
Seattle now has to hop on a plane to Toronto to face the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday in ALCS Game 1.
Toronto owns a very clear pitching advantage going into the series since Seattle maxxed out its arms just to stay alive in the postseason.
Seattle’s got a terrific set of arms and power bats that can combat what the Blue Jays can throw at it, but it faces an uphill climb at the start of the series.
Game 1: Sunday, October 12 (8:03 p.m. ET, Fox)
Game 2: Monday, October 13 4:38 p.m. ET or 5:03 p.m. ET (Fox)
Game 3: Wednesday, October 15
Game 4: Thursday, October 16
Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, October 17
Game 6 (if necessary): Sunday, October 19
Game 7 (if necessary): Monday, October 20
All games televised on Fox and live-streamed on FoxSports.com.
Toronto (-110; bet $110 to win $100)
Toronto has a clear advantage in Game 1 because it can set its rotation whichever way it wants.
The Blue Jays will likely throw Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage in Games 1 and 2 at home, just like they did in the ALDS against the New York Yankees.
Seattle’s pitching plan is up in the air. George Kirby started ALDS Game 5 on Friday. Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert each pitched in relief. Gilbert threw two innings, while Castillo worked 1.1 innings and got the win.
Bryce Miller is the only completely fresh starter the Mariners have. He started Game 4 against Detroit on Wednesday. The Mariners likely won’t make that decision until they get to Toronto.
The Game 1 matchup as a whole favors Toronto because Seattle played 15 innings in a series clincher and now has to get on a cross-continent flight to Ontario.
Yesavage, who was just called up in September, has never faced Seattle. That will play into Toronto’s favor at the start of Game 2.
The Blue Jays won four of the six regular-season contests between the two sides, but those games took place in April and May, so it’s not a good barometer for where both teams are at the moment.
At minimum, the Blue Jays need to take Game 1 before the pitching advantage swings back into Seattle’s favor. The Mariners could easily throw Gilbert and Kirby twice each later in the series.
Toronto presents a different matchup for those pitchers compared to Detroit, though, as the Blue Jays had the second-lowest strikeout rate in the majors. The Tigers had the fifth-highest punchout rate.
Toronto’s ability to avoid the strikeouts and put the ball in play could end up as its top difference-maker in what should be a close series.
Prediction: Toronto over Seattle in 7.