Tied series yet again. This time one team will end the night one more win away from a championship.
It’ll be the Game 1 starters going for both teams tonight, a game that Toronto won at home. That means
a rematch between rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage and veteran lefty Blake Snell. Neither pitcher was particularly strong in that contest but both have it in them to pitch like aces tonight. It’s the last game of the season for both of these pitchers so you know that they’ll be emptying the tank and leaving everything out there in this one.
Yesavage will be making the biggest start of his life tonight as the 22-year-old gets the call for this critical game in Los Angeles. It’ll cap an amazing year for the Jays’ 1st-round pick last year after beginning the season in Single-A. Now he’ll be able to put the big league squad one win away from their first ring in 32 years. Think the young gun is feeling any pressure?
The Toronto lineup looks like this tonight:
Again, no George Springer as he’s still dealing with a strained oblique that seems like it’s a season-ender. On the bright side for the Jays they’ll have fellow star Bo Bichette back in the lineup for the second consecutive day, back in the DH slot. They’ll need all the right-handed help they can get against the Dodgers’ ace lefty.
While Yesavage is just beginning his career, Snell is set for his fifth start this postseason and 15th of his career. The 10-year veteran and two-time Cy Young winner was in the midst of a terrific postseason before getting touched up by the Jays in Game 1. He surrendered a two-run homer to Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho before a sixth-inning rally chased him from the game, an inning that the Blue Jays would end up scoring nine runs in. The Dodgers shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars to Snell for exactly these sort of games and they’ll be relying on their staff leader tonight in their final home game of the season.
Here’s how Dave Roberts drew up the Dodgers’ lineup card for tonight:
No matter who wins tonight, history says that it’s still a 50/50 shot to win the entire thing for either team. Still would like to be the team with three wins heading to Toronto. Who you guys picking tonight? Postseason baseball at its best!
