It's a fun, nervous, exciting and tense final week of the regular season for Blue Jays fans as their team sits atop the American League wild-card standings with a two-game lead over Baltimore entering play Wednesday.
The Orioles awoke one game ahead of Detroit and two up on Seattle.
But it's time to abandon the one-game-at-a-time approach and look ahead to the Oct. 4 winner-take-all, wild-card game that Toronto is hoping to host.
The likely candidate to start the one-game playoff is either J.A. Happ or Aaron Sanchez, depending on whether the Jays have clinched and neither is needed to pitch a must-win game on the weekend in Boston.
The case for Happ:
- The veteran left-hander has been the team's most consistent starter.
- He boasts a 2.90 earned-run average in 15 home starts, compared to 3.47 in 16 road outings. Happ also has held opposing hitters to a .239 batting average at Rogers Centre.
- Of his 31 starts this season, 20 have been "quality," meaning Happ has allowed three earned runs or fewer over six innings.
- He has a 2.95 ERA since mid-July, nearly a half-run lower than his pre-all-star break ERA of 3.36.
- He has appeared in eight post-season games, allowing four earned runs in 6 1/3 innings in his lone start with Philadelphia in 2009.
- Overall, Happ is 20-4 with a 3.20 ERA, 162 strikeouts in 188 2/3 innings and a 1.16 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning).
vs. Baltimore (this season)
3 starts: 2-0, 3.54 ERA, 20 1/3 innings, 5 walks, 19 strikeouts
vs. Detroit
2 starts: 1-1, 5.06 ERA, 10 2/3 innings, 12 hits, 12 strikeouts
vs. Seattle
2 starts: 2-0, 1.64 ERA, 11 innings, 5 walks, 14 strikeouts
The case for Sanchez:
- He is considered by many to have the best "stuff" among Blue Jays' starters.
- In 13 home starts, he has a 3.74 ERA. On Tuesday night, Sanchez was dominant at times against Baltimore, limiting the Orioles to one earned run over six innings with 10 strikeouts.
- He has performed much better on the road with a 2.56 ERA in 16 starts and .221 opposing batting average, compared to .238 at the Rogers Centre.
- Of his 29 starts, 22 have been "quality."
- The 24-year-old is in his third season and has appeared in nine post-game games (all out of the bullpen) and has given up one unearned run on seven hits over 7 1/3 innings with two walks and six strikeouts.
- Overall, he is 14-2 with a 3.06 ERA with 155 strikeouts in 185 innings and a 1.19 WHIP.
vs. Baltimore
5 starts: 4-0, 3.00 ERA, 30 innings, 13 walks, 28 strikeouts.
vs. Detroit
2 starts: 0-0, 2.77 ERA, 13 innings, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts
vs. Seattle
1 start: No-decision, 6 innings, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Who is Blue Jays' best option as wild-card starter?
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