The Blue Jays are in Baltimore for their final series of the year. They come into this three-game set red-hot after sweeping the Boston Red Sox and out scoring them 25-3. The Jays are guaranteed to finish either first or second in the wild card standings and they control their own fate. Winning at least two games will lock in first place no matter what the Seattle Mariners do. The Jays lead the Mariners by 2.5 games.
Baltimore has been eliminated form post season contention and will finish in seventh place in the American League, just outside the playoffs. Despite being out they will still want to play spoiler and finish the season strong.
The season series is tied 8-8.
Things Worth Mentioning…
Jays should clinch homefield in the next two games.
Even if the Orioles sweep the Blue Jays they are still likely to secure the first wild card position and play the first playoff series at Rogers Center.
Espinal and Gurriel Jr. are still out but the team is hopeful they will be ready for the playoffs.
They may have to move this series because the weather in Baltimore does not look good over the next few days.
Hopefully the rain holds off and the series can be played as scheduled.
The head-to-head…
Dean Kremer vs. Jose Berrios
Kremer has been the most consistent pitcher in the Orioles rotation this year. Out of Orioles players with 20 or more starts he ranks first in ERA (3.17), FIP (3.77) and WAR (1.7) according to FanGraphs. At 26 years old, he looks to be key piece of a developing Orioles team.
He has seen the Blue Jays a lot this season and it has not gone well. In six appearances he has allowed 20 runs in 28.1 innings for an ERA of 6.41.
It has been a disastrous season for Jose Berrios. He looked to be on track to pitch well in the playoffs after starting September hot but his last two starts have been awful. In 7.1 innings combined against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays he gave up 11 runs and took the loss each time.
This will be his fourth start against the Orioles this year and he has been successful in the previous three. He is 2-0 with a 3.32 ERA, much better than his season average of 5.37. The Jays won all three games.
Mike Baumann vs. Mitch White
Baumann has split time between triple-A and the majors this season. In 60 innings in the minors he has a 2-6 record and 4.20 ERA with a strikeout rate of 12.2 per nine innings. He hasn’t been able to get the swing and miss at the big-league level. His ERA is similar at 4.34 but his strikeout rate drops to just 5.9.
This will be his third appearance (second start) against the Jays. He is 0-1 with three earned runs in seven innings versus Toronto this year.
White was brought in to solidify the Jays rotation at the deadline. His time in Toronto started well but he has struggled in his last six outings. He hasn’t allowed less than three earned runs in any of his last six and three of them he’s given up five or more. His ERA as a Jay is now 7.38 in nine games.
His only start against the Orioles was a rough one. He was pulled after 2.1 innings and five earned runs.
TBA vs. TBA
Neither team has announced their starters for game three. It is Alek Manoah’s turn in the rotation but if the Jays have clinched home field for the playoffs, he will have the night off.
