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	<title>Toronto &#187; ALCS</title>
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		<title>ALCS Game 5 Recap: Cleveland 3, Toronto 0; Not With a Bang but a Whisper</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/19/alcs-game-5-recap-cleveland-3-toronto-0-not-with-a-bang-but-a-whisper/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/19/alcs-game-5-recap-cleveland-3-toronto-0-not-with-a-bang-but-a-whisper/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Oct 2016 23:05:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Greg Wisniewski]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2016 Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cleveland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[el;imination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=7603</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As with all of their other losses in the ALCS, the Blue Jays fell behind early, and failed to figure any way to come back over the next 8 innings. The Jays fell 3-0, and in the series 4-1, and I don&#8217;t recall them ever getting a runner to third base. Things did not start [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As with all of their other losses in the ALCS, the Blue Jays fell behind early, and failed to figure any way to come back over the next 8 innings. The Jays fell 3-0, and in the series 4-1, and I don&#8217;t recall them ever getting a runner to third base.</p>
<p>Things did not start off well for the Blue Jays in this win or go home game, and they didn&#8217;t get any better as the innings wore on.</p>
<p>A Mike Napoli double off of starter Marco Estrada resulted in a 1-0 deficit for the Jays before they even got a chance to bat. Their bats were completely paralyzed by the rookie junkballer Ryan Merritt, as he faced one over the minimum through his four and a third innings.</p>
<p>Solo home runs by Carlos Santana and Coco Crisp made it a 3-0 hole, and the Blue Jays found themselves inside a seemingly bottomless pit, from which their offense was reluctant to climb.</p>
<p>Cecil, Biagini and Osuna held the line, once again giving up zero runs over their combined three frames, but in a familiar turn of events, the Blue Jays could not solve the Cleveland bullpen.</p>
<p>Jose Bautista doubled to lead off the 9th, in what might well be his last at-bat as a Blue Jay. Two strikeouts and a popup later, the Blue Jays 2016 season was over. Cleveland moves on to the World Series.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>The game was, in a way, won in the first inning with that Mike Napoli run scoring double. That hit raised the odds of a Cleveland victory by 11%, and they just kept inching upwards from there.</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Josh Donaldson did not have an MVP calibre day, highlighted by the double play he hit into in the 6th inning, that twin killing cost the Jays .058 of a win. It&#8217;s also a note about how few opportunities the Jays had, since nothing moved the needle more than 6% for Toronto.</p>
<h3>Bautista Goes Out Hitting?</h3>
<p>Jose Bautista&#8217;s Toronto tenure may be over. He did himself proud on this day, going 2-4 with a double on a day when not other Jays got multiple hits, or hit for extra bases. As he rolls into free agency, there are many Blue Jay moments that will define his career, and the franchise&#8217;s history. Players like that are few and far between</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>Staring out the window and waiting for spring. (Well, a World Series next week if you still need baseball in your life for a few more games.)</p>
<p>Lead Photo&nbsp;Credit -Nick Turchiaro&nbsp;<strong>USA TODAY Sports </strong></p>
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		<title>Blue Jays Bats Stay Silent</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/18/blue-jays-bats-stay-silent/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2016 14:22:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Evan Peaslee]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cleveland Indians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corey Kluber]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Edwin Encarnacion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jose Bautista]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Pillar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russell Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=7552</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TORONTO – It’s no fun to pile on when a person is down, but so far in the American League Championship Series the Toronto Blue Jays have been completely outplayed in every facet. No one is going to point fingers at the Jays’ pitching, but a whole lot of weight falls on the shoulders of [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>TORONTO – It’s no fun to pile on when a person is down, but so far in the American League Championship Series the Toronto Blue Jays have been completely outplayed in every facet. No one is going to point fingers at the Jays’ pitching, but a whole lot of weight falls on the shoulders of an offense that simply isn’t getting it done.</p>
<p>The Toronto offense is Arctic cold right now; they have scored a season-low in runs over a three game stretch in the most important time of the year. If you’re a Jays fan there isn’t a whole lot to hang your hat on at the moment. They’ve squandered alarmingly favourable matchups the last two games, one of which came against 8.1 innings from the Cleveland bullpen and the other versus Josh Tomlin.</p>
<p>“They shut us down,&#8221; Jays manager John Gibbons said. &#8220;They did a great job going through a number of guys and did a good job shutting us down.</p>
<p>“I still believe our offense is due to erupt. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve seen it too many times. Hopefully (Tuesday) is that day, we’ll see.”</p>
<p>While certainly the Cleveland pitching staff deserves a ton of credit for making the Toronto hitters look completely lifeless at the plate, the simple matter of the fact is that some of the Jays&#8217; big bats are just missing pitches. Take the fifth inning of Monday’s game. The Blue Jays had just tied the game at two on a groundout by Ryan Goins that scored Ezequiel Carrera and the heart of the Toronto lineup was coming up to bat to face Bryan Shaw. All three of them had a pitch to hit, and only Josh Donaldson was able to do something with it.</p>
<p>Take a look at what Jose Bautista had to hit(below).</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/Bautista.gif"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7565" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/Bautista.gif" alt="Bautista" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>That blue dot is a cutter that Cleveland righty Bryan Shaw threw right down the middle of the plate. Bautista flied out to left field about 20 feet short of the wall.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/eddie.gif"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7566" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/eddie.gif" alt="eddie" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>That&#8217;s the cutter that Encarnacion missed(above). Typically he smashes those pitches if this heat map is any indication(below):</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/slug.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7567" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/slug.png" alt="slug" width="500" height="500" /></a></p>
<p>Now, these charts and missed pitches don&#8217;t mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. Just like pitchers, hitters miss sometimes. Baseball is an extremely hard and complicated game. The best of the best miss less often than everyone else, which Bautista and Encarnacion are certainly in that category. What it <em>does </em>indicate is what anyone can see with their eyes; the Jays&#8217; offense is off. The likelihood of either of them missing those pitches when they&#8217;re seeing the ball well is slim. However, even if both sluggers would&#8217;ve reached base versus Shaw it doesn&#8217;t mean the Jays would&#8217;ve won, but for a team that hasn&#8217;t even held the lead at any point in the the series, at least one hit could&#8217;ve gone a long way to building some form of momentum.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not just the big bats that are missing either. Troy Tulowitzki, Bautista, Kevin Pillar, and Russell Martin are a combined 4-for-41 in the series, with Martin looking particularly lost at the plate. Dioner Navarro has as many hits as each of them, and that came in one at-bat. However, after the loss in Game 3 Gibbons didn&#8217;t sound like he was thinking about changing the lineup once again in hopes of sparking the offense.</p>
<p>“I may have already done that enough,&#8221; Gibbons said. &#8220;No, we’ll run the boys out there tomorrow that got us to this point. It’s a pretty good group. And they’re due. They’re due. We’ll see. We’ll see if it’s (Tuesday).”</p>
<p>The task will be a whole lot harder with Corey Kluber, the 2014 Cy Young winner on the mound for Cleveland. The man who escaped trouble in the first three innings of Game 1 before getting locked in and shutting out the Blue Jays over 6.1 innings and allowing just six hits.</p>
<p>While the task may be daunting, what the Jays need is pretty simple.</p>
<p>&#8220;We just got to play better,&#8221; Pillar said. &#8220;We got to figure out a way to get to their starting pitching early, get a lead, and play from ahead for once.</p>
<p>“This [team] is filled with guys that would damn near sell their soul to get to the World Series and we understand we still have that opportunity we just need to play better. It’s that simple.&#8221;</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports</em></p>
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		<title>ALCS Game 3 Recap: Cleveland 4, Blue Jays 2; Toronto Bleeds Out Slowly</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/17/alcs-game-3-recap-cleveland-4-blue-jays-2-toronto-bleeds-out-slowly/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2016 03:49:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Elie Waitzer]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2016 Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cleveland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[loss Trevor Bauer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playoffs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=7523</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Injury chased their starter early, but Cleveland&#8217;s bullpen continued to have an answer for every Jays threat. Toronto would never take the lead, falling 4-2 in the game and are now down 3-0 in the series. Cleveland drew first blood on a Mike Napoli double, but Toronto lashed back in the bottom of the 1st. After [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Injury chased their starter early, but Cleveland&#8217;s bullpen continued to have an answer for every Jays threat. Toronto would never take the lead, falling 4-2 in the game and are now down 3-0 in the series.</p>
<p>Cleveland drew first blood on a Mike Napoli double, but Toronto lashed back in the bottom of the 1st. After throwing just 19 pitches, the blood gushing from the drone-inflicted wound on Trevor Bauer&#8217;s pinky became to much to ignore. Two pats on the cheek from Terry Francona and Bauer&#8217;s night was done.</p>
<p>If Cleveland goes on to lose this series, they&#8217;ll be calling it The Curse of the Dronebino.</p>
<p>Dan Otero warmed up in a hurry, and quickly served up a homer to Michael Saunders to knot that game at 1-1 in the 2nd. It looked like things would start to snowball out of control for Cleveland; you can&#8217;t throw Andrew Miller out there in the 3rd and the Jays would feast on the no-name back end of the bullpen. That&#8217;s how it played out in my head.</p>
<p>Instead, the Jays were shut down by guys named Jeff Manship and Zack McAllister, and Napoli crushed the first pitch he saw in the 4th into the stands to put Cleveland back on top. With Cleveland comfortably leading in the 7th, the air went out of the Rogers Centre as fans waited for Andrew Miller to jog in.</p>
<p>But instead in came Bryan Shaw, and then Cody Allen, and with a rally brewing in the bottom of the 7th Miller remained seated. Shades of Zach Britton. Donaldson stepped up to the plate with men on second and first and hit the first pitch from Allen right on the money, which in the 2016 ALCS means right into Coco Crisp&#8217;s glove.</p>
<p>Andrew Miller finally came in with two outs in the 8th, and did what he does. It took seven pitchers &#8211; and 149 pitches<strong> </strong>- to win the game for Cleveland. A lot of the credit&#8217;s going to go to Francona for &#8220;pulling this one out of a hat&#8221; after Bauer&#8217;s pinky busted open in the 1st, and that&#8217;s deserved. He&#8217;s consistently gotten the matchups he wants, and he&#8217;s been aggressive on the basepaths and with defensive positioning.</p>
<p>Make no mistake, though, this game wasn&#8217;t won by Cleveland, it was lost by the Jays&#8217; bats.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Jason Kipnis&#8217; go-ahead homer in the 5th was worth +0.163 WPA. According to Statcast, the dinger was clocked at 107.3 MPH &#8211; the fastest ball of Kipnis&#8217; bat all season.</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>Pillar&#8217;s strikeout in the 9th lowered the Jays chances of winning by 7.7%, but we won&#8217;t hold it against him.</p>
<h3>Cleveland runs wild again</h3>
<p>We knew it would be bad, but not this bad. After Rajai Davis burned up the basepaths to score the game-winning run in Game 2, Coco Crisp got things rolling early against Stroman in the 2nd. He stole second without a throw, and then pressured a wild pitch that allowed him to get to third base.</p>
<p>I understand that the Jays rotation isn&#8217;t going to give up the count to a batter in order to focus on controlling the running game, but they could at least feign interest. Crisp took the kind of lead you take when you know the pitcher isn&#8217;t paying attention, but if Stroman had glanced over he would&#8217;ve had him picked off easily. Even Mike Napoli got in on the action, taking advantage of a pitch in the dirt to swipe a bag.</p>
<h3>The Ever Changing Strike Zone</h3>
<p>The strike zone was once again a point of contention early on, as Brian Gorman was all over the place. The problem wasn&#8217;t so much accuracy, but consistency. One moment he would be calling the inside fastball a strike, next moment it would be a ball. Seemed to go both ways, though, but a called strike against Michael Saunders stands out on the left of this graphic.</p>
<p><a href="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/chart.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-7542 size-medium" src="http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/chart-300x300.png" alt="chart" width="300" height="300" /></a></p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>In an in-game interview right after Bauer was forced to leave the game, Francona said Kluber would be starting Game 4. It&#8217;ll be short rest, but who better to hand the ball to in an elimination game than last year&#8217;s Cy Young winner? (I mean, yes, Andrew Miller would be better.) Aaron Sanchez will toe the hill for the Jays at 4 p.m. EST.</p>
<p><strong> Lead Photo Credit</strong>- <em>Nick Turchiaro </em>-USA TODAY Sports</p>
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		<title>ALCS Game 1 Recap: Cleveland 2, Blue Jays 0; Pitchers Shine and Bats Struggle as Jays Drop Opener</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/14/alcs-game-1-recap-cleveland-2-blue-jays-0-pitchers-shine-and-bats-struggle-as-jays-drop-opener/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Oct 2016 03:02:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dave Church]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=7458</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While the respective starter&#8217;s lines suggested a pitchers duel, this game was a story of missed opportunities for the Jays, and timely hits for Cleveland. One mistake for Marco Estrada ended up being the only one he could make, as the Jays ended up dropping the game 2-0. Cleveland&#8217;s assumed ace, Corey Kluber, threw up zeroes for his [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While the respective starter&#8217;s lines suggested a pitchers duel, this game was a story of missed opportunities for the Jays, and timely hits for Cleveland. One mistake for Marco Estrada ended up being the only one he could make, as the Jays ended up dropping the game 2-0.</p>
<p>Cleveland&#8217;s assumed ace, Corey Kluber, threw up zeroes for his entire outing, but wasn&#8217;t at his best for a lot of it. The Jays struggled hitting his great slider, as he flipped between baffling hitters and missing badly with it. The Jays threatened several times over the first few innings, but were unable to cash them in, stranding seven runners in his outing before he gave way to Andrew Miller.  Kluber&#8217;s final line with 6.1 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Most of those hits in the first 4 innings, where the Jays squandered several opportunities to score. Two pinch-hitters didn&#8217;t do much against Miller in the 7th or 8th, as he struck out five of the six hitters he faced, before Cody Allen closed it out without incident in the 9th.</p>
<p>Estrada had another great playoff start, keeping Cleveland mostly off the bases and away from trouble for the first five, matching Klubers zeroes with his own until the sixth. A Jason Kipnis single was followed up by a Francisco Lindor home run, opening the scoring for the home team. It was probably frustrating for Estrada, who&#8217;d been keeping Cleveland&#8217;s hitters off balance for the night, throwing strikes and mixing in his changeup well. His final line may have had more runs that Kluber&#8217;s, but he&#8217;d been more effective for the majority of the game. Such is baseball, however, and Marco finished with a complete game loss, notching 8 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts. This was the first complete game by a Jays starter this season, though it didn&#8217;t matter much coming in a loss.</p>
<h3>Top Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>The lone blemish on Estrada&#8217;s record tonight was also the most important play. After Jason Kipnis singled with one out in the 6th, Francisco Lindor hit a home run to right field on a 1-1 count, a fastball that Lindor drove into the seats. That dinger provided the lone offense of the evening, and had a WPA of .265.</p>
<h3>Bottom Play of the Game by WPA</h3>
<p>As if playing hurt wasn&#8217;t bad enough, Devon Travis was also responsible for the worst play of the game by WPA. The Jays had two runners on in the second inning, and Travis grounded into a double play, ending the inning and the threat. Snuffing out that rally had a WPA of -.091, and was one of several missed chances for the Jays in this one.</p>
<h3>Laz Diaz Doesn&#8217;t Win Friends Or Influence People</h3>
<p>Home plate umpire Laz Diaz had a strike zone that was perplexing, to put it mildly. A few of his more egregious misses:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Call helps <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a><br />Ball 1 should be strike 1<br />Top 1 Kluber vs Encarnacion<br />24% call same<br />1.9in from edge <a href="https://t.co/wuTsXtLGIr">pic.twitter.com/wuTsXtLGIr</a></p>
<p>&mdash; BlueJays Strike Zone (@BlueJaysUmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJaysUmp/status/787083803441397760">October 15, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Call hurts <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a><br />Strike 3 should be ball 4<br />Top 6 Kluber vs Bautista<br />4% call same<br />3.9in from edge <a href="https://t.co/pIXntQsdMk">pic.twitter.com/pIXntQsdMk</a></p>
<p>&mdash; BlueJays Strike Zone (@BlueJaysUmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJaysUmp/status/787107296572735488">October 15, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Call hurts <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash">#BlueJays</a><br />Ball 1 should be strike 1<br />Bot 6 Estrada vs Kipnis<br />2% call same<br />5.6in from edge <a href="https://t.co/b6dtF8cGPo">pic.twitter.com/b6dtF8cGPo</a></p>
<p>&mdash; BlueJays Strike Zone (@BlueJaysUmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJaysUmp/status/787110097306718212">October 15, 2016</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>It&#8217;s generally not a good sign when both teams have a beef, and they had reason to be, as Diaz&#8217;s zone morphed from inning to inning, alternately squeezing and extending his zone. The Jays were visibly frustrated later in the game, as both Melvin Upton and Edwin Encarnacion had long arguments with Diaz after getting rung up.</p>
<h3>Travis Leaves the Game</h3>
<p>Travis&#8217; health was a hot topic coming into the series, and he was visibly affected by it, wincing on some plays, seeming slow to get to some balls. Struggling at the plate and in the field, he was replaced in the sixth inning by Ryan Goins.</p>
<h3>Strikeouts and Stranded Runners</h3>
<p>After a division series that was encouraging offensively, the first game of the ALCS was an unfortunate reminder of most of the season for Jays fans. With 12 strikeouts and 8 runners stranded, it was a frustrating game offensively. This was, however, against Cleveland&#8217;s best pitchers. Kluber is their ace, and Miller and Allen probably won&#8217;t combine for nearly 3 innings every game.</p>
<h3>Up Next</h3>
<p>It&#8217;s a quick turnaround before Game 2 of this series. J.A. Happ will start for the Jays, while Josh Tomlin counters for Cleveland. Happ won his start in the division series against the Rangers, weaving in and out of trouble over his 5 innings, allowing only 1 run despite giving up 9 hits and a walk. Tomlin was 0-1 in 2 starts against the Jays last year, and won his start in the ALDS as well against Boston.</p>
<p><em>Lead Photo: Ken Blaze &#8211; USA Today Sports</em></p>
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		<title>Donaldson&#8217;s Bold Move Pays Off for Jays</title>
		<link>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/10/donaldsons-bold-move-pays-off-for-jays/</link>
		<comments>http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/2016/10/10/donaldsons-bold-move-pays-off-for-jays/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2016 16:02:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Evan Peaslee]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2016 postseason]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALDS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Josh Donaldson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Pillar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Saunders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MLB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Texas Rangers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toronto Blue Jays]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://toronto.locals.baseballprospectus.com/?p=7363</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[TORONTO – Ballsy. Reckless. Bold. Aggressive. Call it whatever you want, but Josh Donaldson’s decision to round third and attempt to score on a ball in the dirt that was laying at the feet of Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland was certainly not your run of the mill play. As Donaldson laid out, doing [&#8230;]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>TORONTO – Ballsy. Reckless. Bold. Aggressive.</p>
<p>Call it whatever you want, but Josh Donaldson’s decision to round third and attempt to score on a ball in the dirt that was laying at the feet of Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland was certainly not your run of the mill play.</p>
<p>As Donaldson laid out, doing his best Superman impression, he touched the corner of home plate with his outstretched left hand to score the decisive run and win the ALDS for the Toronto Blue Jays.</p>
<p>“That’s a baseball player man,” Kevin Pillar said after the game as he and his teammates celebrated the Jays’ 7-6 walk-off win in Game Three of the ALDS against the Texas Rangers. “He’s got great instincts. Everyone wants to talk about what he’s able to do with his bat, or what he’s able to do with his glove, but what makes him an MVP type of player is his ability to run the bases.</p>
<p>“That’s a guy whose playing banged up. Probably not at 100 percent, but his instincts took over and he wanted it more than they did. That’s a play where someone can’t tell you to go, you just got to go on your own and he reacted, and boy it worked out.”</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Everyone wants to talk about what he’s able to do with his bat, or what he’s able to do with his glove, but what makes him an MVP type of player is his ability to run the bases.&#8221; &#8211; Pillar</p></blockquote>
<p>That it certainly did, as the Jays won the game on what was arguably the boldest baserunning decision in franchise history. When Donaldson broke for home, the Rogers Centre crowd held their breath as the play unfolded. Even last year’s MVP wasn’t sure he was going to make it home safely.</p>
<p>“That situation in the game, if he ends up throwing me out, making a great play you kind of have to tip your cap to him,” Donaldson said. “But I’m banking on the fact that I’m going to make it more times than not.&#8221;</p>
<p>While Donaldson was <i>relatively</i> sure his gamble was going to pay off, Michael Saunders was certain the game was over then and there.</p>
<p>“His instincts are off the charts. I had no doubt that he was scoring,” Saunders said. “When he makes up his mind on the base path it’s usually the right decision. He was aggressive. He understood the way the game was going that we needed to take our chances. The guy is an MVP for a reason.”</p>
<p>What may be more surprising than Donaldson’s decision to break for home in that situation was the fact that it’s no secret he’s nursing an assortment of ailments, some of which certainly affected his swing during a September where he hit .232 and only managed three home runs, but the 30-year-old looked awfully spry as he bolted for home.</p>
<p>“When you have 50,000 fans screaming it kind of numbs the pain a little,” Donaldson said. “It gives you that little extra jolt of adrenalin.”</p>
<blockquote><p>“When you have 50,000 fans screaming it kind of numbs the pain a little.&#8221; &#8211; Donaldson</p></blockquote>
<p>While the end result was what the Jays hoped for, the game itself wasn’t perfect. Few things in life are.</p>
<p>Aaron Sanchez struggled with his command all game &#8211; allowing six earned runs in his first postseason start, Kevin Pillar just barely missed a diving catch to end all diving catches that gave the Rangers a brief lead in the sixth, and the Jays only had two hits with runners in scoring position, scoring two of their seven runs on a wild pitch and an error.</p>
<p>That no longer matters. What matters at this time of year is simply the end result and that’s what the Jays are focused on.</p>
<p>“In the playoffs it’s all about getting wins,” Pillar said. “We just executed better and that’s what it comes down to in the postseason. We just played better baseball. We executed better.</p>
<p>“We’re going to enjoy the rest. It’s a long season. A lot of us are beat up. A lot of us are hanging on by threads. We’re going to enjoy the couple days off and take care of our bodies and we’ll be ready to go.”</p>
<p>Thanks to Donaldson’s bold baserunning decision the Jays get four days off before returning Friday for Game 1 of the ALCS against the winner of the Boston/Cleveland series &#8211; something that’s critical for the team at this time of year with so many bodies hurting.</p>
<p>“It’s been a long year. The extra days off will definitely benefit us as a team, I can tell you that,” Saunders said. “We’re just going to keep this momentum going. We’re going to enjoy some days off and come back ready to go.”</p>
<p>When they do come back the Jays will be looking for their seventh-straight victory, which would tie the club’s best mark of the season. Those types of streaks are awfully rare this time of year, but Toronto might be playing its best baseball at the most critical time.</p>
<p>Pillar talked before the Wild Card game about team’s who win that game tend to “ride that wave” of momentum into their next series. Thanks to Donaldson and company the Jays are still riding that wave and will look to continue to do so when the ALCS starts.</p>
<p>Friday. Be there.</p>
<p><i>Lead Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports</i></p>
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