Blue Jays Pre-game News and Notes: Carrera, Pillar Flip Spots
Facing a 3-0 deficit, the Toronto Blue Jays are making a minor change to their lineup for Game 4 of the ALCS.
The Toronto Blue Jays will go with a similar lineup in Game 4 on Tuesday as they look to keep their season — and World Series aspirations — alive.
Jose Bautista will once again lead off for the Blue Jays, while left fielder Ezequiel Carrera moves up to the seventh spot, with centre fielder Kevin Pillar sliding down to the eighth spot.
Can the Blue Jays Get to Kluber?:
Corey Kluber wasn’t sharp in the early innings of Game 1, but he weathered the storm and managed to hold the Blue Jays scoreless, throwing 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. Kluber is yet to allow an earned run over 13 1/3 innings pitched this postseason, so Toronto clearly has their work cut out for them.
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However, the Blue Jays are one of the few teams who have had success on multiple occasions against Kluber. Over his career he owns a 1-3 record versus Toronto in five regular season games and boasts a robust 5.34 ERA. Toronto has proven they can hit the Kluber, but based on what we’ve seen during this postseason, this version of the “Klubot” is dialed in.
For what it’s worth, Josh Donaldson, Michael Saunders and Bautista all own a batting average over .300 against Kluber. Donaldson is 6-for-16 with one home run, five RBI and three walks against Kluber, while Saunders is 3-for-8 with a pair of doubles. Russell Martin, who is struggling at the dish, has two home runs against Kluber, but also owns a .200 batting average and on-base percentage against him.
Bottom line here, despite pitching on short rest, Kluber will be tough on the Blue Jays. Toronto will have to dig deep and find a way to generate runs, or they’ll leave themselves vulnerable to facing the devastating Cleveland bullpen again.
Today’s Lineup:
Aside from Carrera moving up one spot, Toronto’s lineup will remain the same as it was for Game 3.
Like Toronto, Cleveland will send out the same lineup they did in Game 3. This lineup has been their status quo for most of the season, so there’s no reason for it to change.
Blue Jays:
Jose Bautista, RF
Josh Donaldson, 3B
Edwin Encarnacion, 1B
Troy Tulowitzki, SS
Russell Martin, C
Michael Saunders, DH
Ezequiel Carrera, LF
Kevin Pillar, CF
Ryan Goins, 2B
Aaron Sanchez, SP
Indians:
Carlos Santana, DH
Jason Kipnis, 2B
Francisco Lindor, SS
Mike Napoli, 1B
Jose Ramirez, 3B
Lonnie Chisenhall, RF
Coco Crisp, CF
Tyler Naquin, LF
Roberto Perez, C
Corey Kluber, SP
Pre-game Tweets from the Beats:
Gibbons, to Toronto writers: “He’s a buddy of mine.” Acknowledged he had called, but refused to reveal subject of convo (which was obvious). https://t.co/Rjww65HEWU
— John Lott (@JohnCLott1) October 18, 2016
Estrada: "We've been neck and neck each game. They've pitched a bit better than we have, and that's basically the outcome of this series."
— Alykhan Khamisa Ravjiani (AK) (@AlykhanKR) October 18, 2016
Estrada: I haven't been told anything, but if they need me to pitch today, I will. #Bluejays #Jays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness) October 18, 2016
Gibbons on 0-3 disadvantage. "It's a big task, no doubt. The odds are against you" #BlueJays
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 18, 2016
Next: Could the Blue Jays Bring Back both Encarnacion and Bautista?
Enjoy Game 4, Blue Jays fans! Hopefully this isn’t the last game of the season.