The Blue Jays-Indians ALCS Will Be a Battle of Two Balanced Ball Clubs

If August 19th to 21st is any indication of what’s to come between the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians, fans are in for a thrilling ride.

Those three days in late August, the Jays and Indians squared off for three extremely close games at Progressive Field. The Blue Jays dropped two of three to the Tribe, even though the Indians didn’t hold a lead in any of those games until the 8th inning of their 3-2 victory on Sunday August 21st.

They were three games which the Blue Jays could’ve very easily won, but instead they emerged from that series with just one win to show for their efforts. Little did we know, that may have been a preview of the level of competitiveness which will be unleashed in the American League Championship Series.

The Blue Jays are making their second consecutive trip to the ALCS, but the optics this time around are much different. While the Kansas City Royals were the clear favourites last year, the Jays and Indians are practically dead-even heading into this series. It’s certainly going to be a battle of two very balanced ball clubs.

The Starting Rotations

In terms of pitching, the Blue Jays and Indians ranked 1 and 2 in ERA during the regular season. And in the postseason, the Indians and Jays are also the top two clubs when it comes to team ERA. Although the Cleveland Indians have Corey Kluber in their back pocket, Toronto’s starting rotation depth is just so much better.

With the ability to send one of Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez or Marcus Stroman to the mound, the Blue Jays hold the edge in that respect. John Gibbons can pretty much count on any one of those four starters to give him at least five solid innings, if not more.

After Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin, the Indians’ starting pitching falls off a cliff. However, that just means the Tribe may turn to Kluber for an encore in Game 4 of the ALCS.

The Lineups

Offensively speaking, the Cleveland Indians hold the edge in terms of employing a balanced batting order, but the firepower in the middle of the Blue Jays’ order makes them a huge threat in a short or seven-game series. The Jays fired on all cylinders against the Texas Rangers in the ALDS and rekindled some of those offensive juggernaut qualities from the Jays of 2015.

When Toronto hits as they did in the ALDS, they’re practically unstoppable. But the calibre of starting pitching they’ll be facing in Cleveland is much more formidable than the pitchers they saw Texas.

The Bullpens

The talk of much of the regular season was the status of the Blue Jays’ bullpen, and for about half the season, their relief corps often cost them games. But for the most part, Toronto’s bullpen has stabilized. In the playoffs, the Blue Jays relievers have combined to throw 14 innings and have only surrendered two earned runs.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen is the crown jewel of their club. The Tribe had the second best bullpen ERA in the American League during the regular season, and in the playoffs, they still haven’t missed a beat. With Andrew Miller waiting in the wings, Terry Francona could release their Kraken from the bullpen at any given moment; and that’s bad news for the Blue Jays.

Since converting to a full-time reliever, Andrew Miller has been a beast against the Blue Jays. But Toronto can forego seeing him altogether if they simply get to the Indians’ starting pitchers early. Miller can make a difference in this series, but he’s only one pitcher; and he can’t be used for multiple innings in every single game.

And don’t look now, but the Blue Jays’ bullpen has been pretty solid so far in October. The combination of Brett Cecil/Joe Biagini/Jason Grilli/Roberto Osuna may not be the makings of a marquee relief corps, but they’ve been getting the job done in the playoffs.

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