Blue Jays angling for 3rd win against Mariners in ALCS Game 5
The Latest:
- Game 5 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) gets started at 6:08 p.m. ET in Seattle.
- Kevin Gausman, who got the start in Game 1 of the ALCS, is back at work for the Jays in Game 5. The Mariners have tapped starter Bryce Miller.
- The best-of-seven playoff series is now even at two games apiece. Game 6 goes in Toronto on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 8:03 p.m. ET.
The Blue Jays have put together back-to-back wins in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the Mariners, and they now have a chance to push Seattle to the brink of post-season elimination in Game 5 Friday night, which gets started at 6:08 p.m. ET.
Toronto and Seattle have each won two games in the best-of-seven ALCS, and the team that wins Friday's game will be well-placed to move on to the World Series.
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman — who put in a strong performance starting Game 1 — is back on the mound again, aiming to nail down a third straight Jays victory at Seattle's T-Mobile Park.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said all members of his bullpen are available to jump into action if Gausman runs into any trouble.
"We're in a good spot," he said ahead of the game. "Everyone's available today."
Seattle will send Bryce Miller to the mound, as the Mariners try to right the ship.
Momentum has moved in Toronto's favour over the past two games, as the Blue Jays' offence helped reverse Seattle's two-game lead in the ALCS. Sharp pitching from two veteran starters — Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer — and solid backup from the bullpen was also key.
Toronto racked up 29 hits in the past two games, outscoring Seattle 21-6 over that same stretch.
The Jays beat Seattle by a score of 8-2 in Thursday's Game 4, powered by a feisty Scherzer. The 41-year-old pitched his first playoff game in a Blue Jays uniform.
Toronto's Game 3 victory was a bit more lopsided Wednesday night, when they won 13-4 over Seattle.
Seattle won the first two ALCS games at Toronto's Rogers Centre — 3-1 in Game 1, and 10-3 in Game 2.
Before Friday's game, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said the Jays had been able to take advantage of Seattle's mixed bag of pitching.
"They've been able to put together a more consistent approach than they were able to do during the first couple games of the series," Wilson said Friday afternoon.
The Blue Jays' Game 4 victory means both teams will head back to Toronto for a Game 6 in the ALCS on Sunday night.
If Game 7 is necessary, it will be played Monday, also at Rogers Centre.
The winner of the ALCS will advance to the World Series — a stage Toronto last reached in the '90s. Seattle, meanwhile, has never been part of the Fall Classic.
The team that goes to the World Series will play the winner of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) — either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers — the winners of two of the past five World Series — are leading the best-of-seven NLCS 3-0 ahead of their own Friday night game with the Brewers.
cbc.ca
