ALCS Game #5 - Toronto at Seattle (Friday, 6:08)

[Cyrus]

So who is ready for Varsho at top of the lineup, with Springer out!

[rarefind]

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

Hope so.

Springer will gut it out, guys will rally around him and the crowd. I expect an inspired 2 games and there will be a game 7.

I like the optimism but Seattle will be coming to town feeling confident. It will be a battle.

This series is winnable but we are going uphill now.

[COY0607]

Overall I’m still feeling good that we can win the Toronto games left

I worry tn was the gut punch that tightens our guys up and has Seattle playing free and loose in game 6.

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

This is the kind of game that breaks teams. Even resilient ones

It was clear in the dugout during the 8th that something was really early off, I haven’t seen this team like this all season

[linery88]

I don't relate to you reaction. You are disappointed that we didn't win 3 straight in Seattle?

Fact is....losing two games at home made advancing an extremely daunting task. Like pretty close to impossible.

It's not impossible anymore. Winning 2 games in Seattle was HUGE. That was the hard part. Plus we were pretty unlucky in this game. We were clearly out-hitting them for 7 innings. We don't need to depend on a Max Schwerzer miracle performance to advance.

Personally i like our chances. Especially compared to after game 2. I thought we were cooked given the starting pitcher matchups. Watching Bieber lock in during game 3 was promising.

I would be less optimistic if our offense was shut down in this game. But it wasn't.

So it was okay to blow the game (and now be on the brink of elimination) since we won the last two?

You are being melodramatic. We were up by a single run in the 8th inning. Fact is....all of us would've taken winning 2 of 3 in Seattle three days ago. We were cooked and now we're back. Our offense is humming. We got a rookie sensation and a Cy young vet going into two home games.

Was our offense humming today? Things have changed,they decided early on Vlad would no longer beat us,and Seattle was getting the luck they need to stay in the game.Sucks ..such a drop from Mad max last night to this.Not being melodramatic,just being honest.Its nice that you are optimistic but you now have to keep in mind that you expect Bieber to pitch on 3 days rest?
I,m not saying i expect to lose but the expectations are lower,and been lowered in the blink of an eye thanks to JS.You also have to be realistic,and seen all the things that have happened that didnt before.I expect them to not let Vladdy beat us.Basically feeling the same way i did before going to Seattle down 2-0 which already sucked.Are we capable ..yes.Will we need luck.YES.
Go Jays Go lol.

[LoveMyRaps]

So who is ready for Varsho at top of the lineup, with Springer out!

Springer will play.

And we're gonna win.

[mdenny]

So it was okay to blow the game (and now be on the brink of elimination) since we won the last two?

You are being melodramatic. We were up by a single run in the 8th inning. Fact is....all of us would've taken winning 2 of 3 in Seattle three days ago. We were cooked and now we're back. Our offense is humming. We got a rookie sensation and a Cy young vet going into two home games.

No, I am not. Your mindset is far too reductionist here.

From outset of being down 2-0, everyone would take this situation but it does not excuse tonight’s debacle. Tonight was a disaster. Teams that want to win a WS don’t lose games by deciding to not use their highest leverage arms in the highest leverage moments. We got what we deserved tonight. I literally predicted the Raleigh homer. It wasn’t hard to predict what ended up happening even if Dominguez surrendered the knockout blow.

Little gives up fewer home runs than Hoffman, Dominguez and Varland.

[LoveMyRaps]

Ohtani's majestic performance made me feel a lot better

This guy is the greatest athlete I've ever witnessed.

[rarefind]

I worry tn was the gut punch that tightens our guys up and has Seattle playing free and loose in game 6.

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

This is the kind of game that breaks teams. Even resilient ones

It was clear in the dugout during the 8th that something was really early off, I haven’t seen this team like this all season

Agreed

[Randle McMurphy]

Little had no business in this game in the 8th inning to face Raleigh and Polanco.

I genuinely feel like some of you are just arguing to be contrarian. We had to go out of the box and do something utterly moronic and it cost us dearly.

I don’t think another major league manager makes this decision.

You don't think another major league manager uses his best K and HR rate reliever in that spot?

I would strongly disagree.

It was a mistake to use him there but it's not some all-time blunder whatsoever given the most obvious alternatives (HR machine Hoffman, walk prone Dominguez who can't get LHBs out). This is a product of having a bad bullpen more than anything else.

[linery88]

I worry tn was the gut punch that tightens our guys up and has Seattle playing free and loose in game 6.

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

This is the kind of game that breaks teams. Even resilient ones

It was clear in the dugout during the 8th that something was really early off, I haven’t seen this team like this all season

They were in triple shock.First Springer,then the decison,then the result of that decision.Thats a lot of shock.

[JCP11]

I worry tn was the gut punch that tightens our guys up and has Seattle playing free and loose in game 6.

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

This is the kind of game that breaks teams. Even resilient ones

It was clear in the dugout during the 8th that something was really early off, I haven’t seen this team like this all season

Maybe you're broken but i can assure you that they aren't. I've played football for 7 years and went through heart breaking losses where i saw grown men cry and all they wished was to have another chance. The Jays are not out and they're going home. I can bet you the guys are already excited for this game. I expect a game 6 win.

[LoveMyRaps]

I liked Little all season long.
I had so much confidence in him and he was arguably our most reliable guy for most of the season.

However, some guys just aren't built for the post-season. Some players fold under the spotlight and I fear, Little is one of those players.

[rarefind]

You are being melodramatic. We were up by a single run in the 8th inning. Fact is....all of us would've taken winning 2 of 3 in Seattle three days ago. We were cooked and now we're back. Our offense is humming. We got a rookie sensation and a Cy young vet going into two home games.

No, I am not. Your mindset is far too reductionist here.

From outset of being down 2-0, everyone would take this situation but it does not excuse tonight’s debacle. Tonight was a disaster. Teams that want to win a WS don’t lose games by deciding to not use their highest leverage arms in the highest leverage moments. We got what we deserved tonight. I literally predicted the Raleigh homer. It wasn’t hard to predict what ended up happening even if Dominguez surrendered the knockout blow.

Little gives up fewer home runs than Hoffman, Dominguez and Varland.

Little can’t throw strikes right now. That is what indirectly allowed Raleigh to sit on the sinker down and hit it to the moon.

The decision was utterly ridiculous. There is nothing to argue about here.

[Randle McMurphy]

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

This is the kind of game that breaks teams. Even resilient ones

It was clear in the dugout during the 8th that something was really early off, I haven’t seen this team like this all season

Agreed

It's also baseball so nobody has a clue how any game is going to go at any time (see Gimenez hitting the two most important HRs of the series for the Jays for one example).

[Randle McMurphy]

I liked Little all season long.
I had so much confidence in him and he was arguably our most reliable guy for most of the season.

However, some guys just aren't built for the post-season. Some players fold under the spotlight and I fear, Little is one of those players.

Looks like it. That guy was wilting out there. You can't use him again in a spot like that, that's for sure.

[Randle McMurphy]

No, I am not. Your mindset is far too reductionist here.

From outset of being down 2-0, everyone would take this situation but it does not excuse tonight’s debacle. Tonight was a disaster. Teams that want to win a WS don’t lose games by deciding to not use their highest leverage arms in the highest leverage moments. We got what we deserved tonight. I literally predicted the Raleigh homer. It wasn’t hard to predict what ended up happening even if Dominguez surrendered the knockout blow.

Little gives up fewer home runs than Hoffman, Dominguez and Varland.

Little can’t throw strikes right now. That is what indirectly allowed Raleigh to sit on the sinker down and hit it to the moon.

The decision was utterly ridiculous. There is nothing to argue about here.

Little hasn't thrown strikes all year. It didn't stop him from being the best Jays RP on the team in terms of allowing HRs.

Whatever you want to say about him, he's pretty damn tough to square up and hit.

[rarefind]

I don't think so, it's backs against the wall, guys will be focused like when they closed the season vs Tampa. It won't be anything close to what happened in the first 2 games.

This is the kind of game that breaks teams. Even resilient ones

It was clear in the dugout during the 8th that something was really early off, I haven’t seen this team like this all season

Maybe you're broken but i can assure you that they aren't. I've played football for 7 years and went through heart breaking losses where i saw grown men cry and all they wished was to have another chance. The Jays are not out and they're going home. I can bet you the guys are already excited for this game. I expect a game 6 win.

You cannot assure anyone what state of mind the Jays are in because you played football for 7 years.

They just saw their manager make one of the dumbest moves imaginable.

Even if you want to run with this narrative, I will tell you one thing. Seattle is feeling good and has already eliminated us once with us at home. They are feeling really free and loose right now. They have a margin for error that we do not.

[LoveMyRaps]

I liked Little all season long.
I had so much confidence in him and he was arguably our most reliable guy for most of the season.

However, some guys just aren't built for the post-season. Some players fold under the spotlight and I fear, Little is one of those players.

Looks like it. That guy was wilting out there. You can't use him again in a spot like that, that's for sure.

Our bullpen just stinks. I really don't trust any guy in there right now - outside of maybe Yariel and Lauer.

Man I wish Yimi was healthy.

Lots of work to do this off-season for the FO.

[linery88]

Looks like Springer will be able to play in game 6.How much of it is uncertain.

[Randle McMurphy]

7 Game series against LA, I think either team is a massive underdog.

That Dodgers team is gonna almost certainly crush whoever they face. Shohei is literally their 4th best SP.