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We are entering the final week of the baseball season, and it is still a big week for a lot of teams. Many have already popped champagne bottles, knowing that they've made the postseason, but there are still quite a few that need to solidify their position.
Some of them are still looking to make the postseason, and others are just trying to lock down the division or Wild Card spot. Monday night we have two teams that are still in contention, but losses will knock them out quickly as the Blue Jays take on the Orioles.
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The Toronto Blue Jays have had a unique situation this season. They came into the season off a narrow loss to the Dodgers in the World Series. They lost Bo Bichette in the offseason, but added Dylan Cease. Many picked them to be a threat once again this season, but it never really came about. They started trading away players at the trade deadline, but instead of sinking further in the standings, they started winning games. It was kind of a down year overall, including for Vlad Guerrero Jr., who just hit his first homer at home a few games ago.
Tonight, the team turns to a playoff hero from just a year ago to try to keep their hopes alive.
Trey Yesavage toes the rubber tonight and brings a 5-5 record with a 3.65 ERA into the contest. He also carries a 1.14 WHIP and has 91 strikeouts over 93.2 innings of work. He is coming back from the injured list, so you do have to be curious about just how many pitches they will allow him today. He has faced the Orioles twice this season and allowed seven earned runs over 10.2 innings. The Blue Jays lost both games, and Yesavage gave up nine walks in those innings.
The Baltimore Orioles are still alive, but their hope is dwindling fast. If they lose these games, they will be knocked out quickly. The Blue Jays and Houston Astros are both three games behind the Chicago White Sox for the final wild-card spot. The Orioles are currently sitting five games back. They were similar to the Blue Jays because they also had a really bad start, and then they traded away players. After the deadline, they started climbing back into the race. Now they have a sliver of hope, but it is likely too little, too late.
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The Orioles are turning to Shane Baz to keep that little hope alive. For the season, Baz is just 6-15 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. The good news is that he at least has been healthy and eaten a ton of innings. He has a 3.92 home ERA for the season, slightly better than what he's done on the road this season. Baz is a bit hard to predict because he has multiple games with three or fewer earned runs, but then will sprinkle in a stinker of a game. He only faced the Blue Jays once this season and allowed one earned run on five hits over 5.2 innings.
Tonight is a game both teams need to win, and it should be treated essentially like a playoff game.
That doesn't mean there will be no offense, but I do feel like the managers will both have quick hooks. I still think we'll see some runs in this game, but given the importance of the game, big innings are unlikely. I think the Blue Jays win it, though. Yesavage is the edge here for me, and despite him coming back from the injured list, I think he can be a difference-maker. Give me the Blue Jays.
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