A preview of the 3 playoffs between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida, as of Tuesday.
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TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Registration: 32-28.
Entry to the playoffs: AL wildcard.
Seed removal: No. 8.
Coach: Charlie Montoyo (second season).
Projected rotation: LD Matt Shoemaker (0-1, 4. 71 ERA), LZ Hyun Jin Ryu (5-2, 2. 69), LD Taijuan Walker (4-3, 2. 70 with Seattle and Toronto).
Best hitters: OF Teoscar Hernandez (. 289, HR, 34 RBIs), OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (. 308, 11, 33), OF Randal Grichuk (. 273, 12, 35).
Best relays: RHP Anthony Bass (2-3, 3. five1 ERA, 7 saves), RHP Rafael Dolis (2-2, 1. five0, five saves).
Series summary: The Blue Jays are reaching the playoffs in eighth place and their first since 2016, when they lost in the Championship Series for a consecutive year. Banned from gambling north of the border due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blue Jays started the season a long way before moving to Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, home to their Triple-A branch. Toronto went 18-10 in a 27-day midseason 28-game streak, solidifying its playoff credentials. The Blue Jays overcame the injuries by bringing in Ken Giles (elbow surgery), Hernandez (oblique oblique), Bichette (knee) and others to take advantage of the expanded playoff format. Toronto and Tampa Bay hadn’t met before in the playoffs. The Blue Jays have gone 4-6 against the Rays this season, with 4 games resolved in additional innings and five made a decision in a single inning. Four of Tampa Bay’s victories were one-set games. Toronto’s combined margin of defeat was nine points. Just one game, a 12-4 win in Toronto on Aug. 14, had more than a three-point margin. Array . . Montoyo has spent more than two decades in the Rays organization as a minor league manager and a primary league coach. Array. Ryu has an additional day off after throwing 100 pitches over seven innings in Thursday’s playoff against the Yankees.
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TAMPA BAY RAYS
Record: 40-20.
Playoff Record: AL East Champions.
Playoff Top: No. 1.
Coach: Kevin Cash (sixth season).
Projected rotation: LHP Blake Snell (4-2, 3. 24 ERA, 63 Ks on 50 IP), LD Tyler Glasnow (5-1, 4. 08, Ks at 57 0. 33 IP), LD Charlie Morton (2-2, 4. 74 Array 42 Ks on 38 IP).
Best hitters: 2B Brandon Lowe (. 269, 14 HR, 37 RBIs, 36 runs, . 916 OPS), SS Willy Adames (. 259, 8, 23, . 813 OPS).
Best relays: RHP Nick Anderson (2-1, 0. 55 ERA, 6 saves), RHP Pete Fairbanks (6-3, 2. 70), RHP Diego Castillo (3-0, 1. 66, save).
Series Summary: The Rays are AL East Champions for the first time since 2010, the third time overall. They won nine of their last 11 games, completed 20 of Array500s and completed the 60 most productive games to start the season in franchise history. It also coincides with the most productive 60-game streak the club has seen at any time this season. Array . . The Rays went 6-4 against rival wild card Toronto despite being outscored 48-44 and 17-11 through the Blue Jays in 10 games. Additionally, the Blue Jays got their starting pitchers to have a decreased ERA (3. 83 vs. 4. 04) and the Toronto reliever cadre had a decreased IBR in head-to-head games (3. 54 to 4. 44). position in the first 30 games of the season. Rivals from the AL East haven’t faced each other since Aug. 24. The Rays start the playoffs without OF Austin Meadows (left indirect tension), a first All-Star of 2019 who is on the injured list. INF Yandy Diaz (hamstring) and 1B Ji-Man Choi (hamstring) are also in IL, but about to back down. Array . . The Rays thrived despite injuries that forced Cash to juggle his rotation and play paddock roles. . The team had 12 pitchers who were awarded at least one save, equaling the major league record set by the Rangers in 1973. Array . . . The Rays also led the American League with 20 wins. Array . . . Tampa Bay also made the playoffs last year, beating Oakland in the American League wild-card game before wasting Houston in the Division Series.
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