GDT: (Game 2 of the ALCS)Toronto Blue Jays @ Kansas City Royals

[Daniel Labude]

PREVIEW

 

 

KANSAS CITY -- The Blue Jays know their offense won't be shut down for very long, but they also understand they have to hurry. The Royals shut them out, 5-0, in Game 1 on Friday night and can grab an assertive 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series with another win at Kauffman Stadium this afternoon (3:30 ET, FOX Sports 1/Sportsnet).

 

The Blue Jays' hopes of evening the ALCS will fall on David Price, who will oppose Yordano Ventura as the veteran lefty tries to improve on a 5.04 career postseason ERA. Really, though, their hopes will rest on a world-beating offense that needs to figure it out quickly -- and may have to do so without cleanup hitter Edwin Encarnacion. The slugger exited the eighth inning of Game 1 with a ligament sprain in his left middle finger, an ailment that has him considered day to day.

"It [stinks]," Toronto left fielder Ben Revere said of Encarnacion's injury. "He's been dealing with that this whole year. It [stinks] to have to deal with that, but he's going to battle through it. He's the type of guy who has been playing through pain the whole year, but he hit like 40 home runs. Hopefully, he'll be ready to go, and I think he will be."

For what it's worth, teams winning Game 1 have gone on to win 28 of the past 45 ALCS matchups. Since the ALCS expanded to seven games in 1985 -- the year the Royals overcame a 3-1 deficit to beat the Blue Jays, then went on to beat the Cardinals in the World Series -- teams winning Game 1 have gone on to win 55 percent of the time.

Those odds are far more favorable than what the Blue Jays overcame against the Rangers in the AL Division Series, when they became just the third team to win a best-of-five series despite losing the first two at home.

On the other side will be Ventura, the enigmatic right-hander who gave up five runs in seven innings when he faced Toronto at Rogers Centre on Aug. 1.

"It's a very talented group, a lot of power, a lot of experience," Ventura said through a translator. "But on the other end, [i've] got to do what [i do] best and stay within my game."

Price will be making his first start in eight days, five days after a three-inning, 50-pitch relief appearance at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The ace left-hander has given up 30 runs (28 earned) in 50 career postseason innings, but he's posted a 1.93 ERA in 23 1/3 innings against Kansas City over the past two years.

Price is winless in six postseason starts.

"I know [a win] is going to come," he said. "I have 100-percent confidence in myself. I know my teammates do as well, and our coaching staff. This is part of it. You've got to be able to live in the moment. I want to be able to step up for my teammates and this organization and all our fans in Canada."

Three things to know about this game

• With Price on the mound, Russell Martin will be back behind the plate for the Blue Jays, setting up a highly anticipated matchup. Martin threw out a Major League-leading 44 percent of would-be basestealers during the regular season. The Royals, meanwhile, stole the second-most bases in the AL.

• Alex Rios, Kansas City's No. 9 hitter, leads the team in plate appearances and overall success against Price. The veteran right fielder is 12-for-30 with two homers, four doubles and a triple against the 30-year-old southpaw. Toronto's hitters are mostly unfamiliar with Ventura. None of the Blue Jays' hitters have faced him more than eight times.

• Royals pitchers will enter Game 2 riding a franchise-record 16-inning postseason scoreless streak. The previous club mark was 15 innings against the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series, from the second inning of Game 5 to the seventh inning of Game 6. The Blue Jays were shut out just five times during the regular season.

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez and Facebook , and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

Toronto Blue Jays

 

1. Ben Revere

2. Josh Donaldson

3. Jose Bautista

4. Edwin Encarnacion

5. Chris Colabello

6. Troy Tulowitzki

7. Russell Martin

8. Kevin Pillar

9. Ryan Goins

 

Kansas City Royals

 

1. Alcides Escobar

2. Ben Zobrist

3. Lorenzo Cain

4. Eric Hosmer

5. Kendrys Morales

6. Mike Moustakas

7. Salvador Perez

8. Alex Gordon

9. Alex Rios

 

 

Today is the game that we show the world the real Toronto Blue Jays!!!!!!! The offense will come alive and we will see the Price we all know and love. Let the ball fly!!!!!!!!

Edited October 17, 2015 by LetTheBallFly

[West Texas Forever]

Jays got this, I am calling a 5 - 2 win.

[reedjohnsonfan]

Nice to see Edwin in there.

[HERPDERP]

I don't know if you guys have seen this but holy s***

 

Video

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[Travis_Snider]

go JAYS go

[Travis_Snider]

Edwin:D

[comeon sense]

Cut down on your swing a little EE.

[Trouba95]

Go Jays! Price needs to be Price today. Enough.

[West Texas Forever]

I don't know if you guys have seen this but holy s***

 

Video

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM

 

The day that waste of a roster spot stops wearing a Jays uniform the better. Yes he seems like a great person, positive and fun to be around but he has no place on a major league division winning team.

[DonnysManbun]

Must win game. Bear down.

[Angrioter]

It's now or never. This is our game

[Grant77]

The day that waste of a roster spot stops wearing a Jays uniform the better. Yes he seems like a great person, positive and fun to be around but he has no place on a major league division winning team.

 

Sure he does. He was in his perfect role this year, an occasional fill-in from AAA.

[West Texas Forever]

Sure he does. He was in his perfect role this year, an occasional fill-in from AAA.

 

Once Travis comes back next year Goins will be that guy.

[Grant77]

Once Travis comes back next year Goins will be that guy.

 

No, Goins will be in the major leagues all year.

[jaysblue]

Once Travis comes back next year Goins will be that guy.

 

And if Travis or Tulo go down with an injury next season and Goins has to take their place, who becomes that guy?

[havok24]

Just f***ing win please.

[West Texas Forever]

No, Goins will be in the major leagues all year.

 

Playing what position?

[West Texas Forever]

And if Travis or Tulo go down with an injury next season and Goins has to take their place, who becomes that guy?

 

Jays have Pennington still next year?

[EMK19]

Very surprised to see Edwin in there, but I suppose this is the ALCS and we need him to play through it. I'd expect to see a lot of his one handed follow throughs... hope he won't re-aggravate it.

[Grant77]

Playing what position?

 

Backup infielder...

[Grant77]

Jays have Pennington still next year?

 

No.

[nextyear]

Once Travis comes back next year Goins will be that guy.

 

Luckily there will be 162 games next year to experiment and see if Travis' better offense means more wins. This season has shown that superior offensive numbers don't correspond to more wins (in spite of what WAR stats indicate). The Blue Jays 2015 season turned around once it was Tulowitzki and Goins in the infield, neither of whom had the offensive stats that matched Devon Travis' stats.

 

If Devon Travis is healthy enough to play in the World Series and the Blue Jays make it that far, how many people would be willing to replace Goins with Devon Travis at 2nd base?

[intrigid]

It's now or never. This is our game

 

Nah, blue jays play terrible when their backs aren't against the wall. This will be another 2004 alcs.

[West Texas Forever]

Backup infielder...

 

I thought you meant an everyday player, I said he would be a backup infielder not an everyday player though.

[BTS]

Playing what position?

 

He'd probably get close to 500 PA as the bench IF to start the season with Tulo and Travis on the team...

[West Texas Forever]

If Devon Travis is healthy enough to play in the World Series and the Blue Jays make it that far, how many people would be willing to replace Goins with Devon Travis at 2nd base?

 

I would do that in a second. Trade off some defense for a much better bat. Goins has looked completely over matched in the playoffs.

[Grant77]

I thought you meant an everyday player, I said he would be a backup infielder not an everyday player though.

 

You didn't say that. If that's what you meant then I agree.

[West Texas Forever]

You didn't say that. If that's what you meant then I agree.

 

Yeah sorry that's what I meant.

[Daniel Labude]

Luckily there will be 162 games next year to experiment and see if Travis' better offense means more wins. This season has shown that superior offensive numbers don't correspond to more wins (in spite of what WAR stats indicate). The Blue Jays 2015 season turned around once it was Tulowitzki and Goins in the infield, neither of whom had the offensive stats that matched Devon Travis' stats.

 

If Devon Travis is healthy enough to play in the World Series and the Blue Jays make it that far, how many people would be willing to replace Goins with Devon Travis at 2nd base?

 

I would in a second. Travis is way better on offense, but his defense is still really good to great at times.

[nextyear]

I would do that in a second. Trade off some defense for a much better bat. Goins has looked completely over matched in the playoffs.

 

Up until the past few months, your philosophy was the one followed by the Blue Jays management for 20 years; I think the Blue Jays management will have second thoughts about following such a philosophy in the future. Proof of this can be seen in the ALDS - how many times did Gibbons pinch hit for Goins even though Goins had no hits in the series?