With the exception of one game, the Toronto Blue Jay could not make a dent in the Indians pitching, and fall in the ALCS four games to one. It was a team effort by the offense, as they managed just a .201/.251/.283 slash line for the series. They did a poor job of setting the table, with a .283 OBP with no one on, and did a worse job of advancing runners, with a .105/.240/.140 slash line with men on base.
Meanwhile, the Indians pitching staff demonstrated how to work as a unit. Scroll down at the line to see the Blue Jays split against Indians starters and relievers. The plate appearances are almost evenly divided. While the reliever gave up a tiny bit more power, both groups kept the Blue Jays off base. For the most part, Indians pitchers were not allowed to get into situations where they could fail.
The Blue Jays now face the loss of two of their big sluggers, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. It’s possible the window of opportunity for the Blue Jays to win a World Series closed for a while Wednesday night. I am interested in seeing how fast they can rebuild. There is still talent on the team, but there is some age as well. We’ll see what’s in the pipeline.
Has any other team ever won a postseason series in which its relief pitchers faced only three fewer batters than its starting pitchers?
I would not be surprised to see the Jays move Josh Donaldson while keeping Bautista at less money. They could get quite a haul for Donaldson. Happ and Estrada could also have some value in a weak SP market.
Of course, they could simply replace them with lower cost options like Napoli, Beltran and Rasmus (coming off a down year) and make another go for it