Seven questions that will decide Mariners-Blue Jays ALCS Game 7

It each comes down to Game 7 successful the American League Championship Series -- with a travel to the World Series connected the line.

The Toronto Blue Jays cruised to triumph implicit the Seattle Mariners successful a must-win Game 6 connected Sunday nighttime to support their title aspirations live and unit Monday's win-or-go-home ALCS finale, with the victor acceptable to instrumentality connected the Los Angeles Dodgers successful the Fall Classic.

Will Toronto decorativeness disconnected the comeback, oregon volition Seattle punch its summons to its archetypal World Series appearance? We asked our MLB experts to reply 7 questions that volition determine Game 7 -- positive a bonus 1 looking guardant to however the AL pennant victor could lucifer up against the reigning champions.

1. How overmuch volition home-field vantage substance for Toronto successful Game 7?

Jorge Castillo: It doesn't hurt. The crowds astatine Rogers Centre down the agelong of the regular play and into October person been electric. Players person repeatedly complimented the atmosphere. But the Mariners won Games 1 and 2 successful Toronto. Those crowds were raucous and it didn't matter.

Buster Olney: It could mean nothing; the Mariners cognize they tin triumph successful Toronto, arsenic they did successful Games 1 and 2. But I bash deliberation that getting a pb volition beryllium important, due to the fact that if Seattle falls down by 2 oregon 3 runs, the situation of winning 1 last crippled astatine Rogers Centre volition beryllium made much hard by the bonkers crowd.

2. The Mariners person had vibes connected their broadside each play long. How overmuch volition Seattle's quality to support uncovering a mode substance successful Game 7?

Jeff Passan: Vibes instrumentality a squad lone truthful far. The Mariners are present due to the fact that of their starting pitching and quality to deed location runs -- and they request George Kirby to debar different disastrous commencement and the discourtesy to chill with the strikeouts. In Game 3, Kirby got shelled for 8 runs, fractional of which came connected 3 location runs. He alternatively needs to transmission his past win-or-go-home game, erstwhile helium throttled Detroit for 5 innings successful the part series.

While Seattle has outhomered the Blue Jays successful the ALCS, its 28.1% strikeout complaint is not good, and Shane Bieber, connected the mound for Toronto, volition trust heavy connected rotation -- truthful that happens to play close into his wheelhouse. Both teams are worn down, and getting an aboriginal pb would spell a agelong mode toward getting the Mariners' discourtesy right.

Olney: After Game 6, the Mariners talked astir however their vigor is bully and that coming backmost is portion of their identity. But it's overmuch much important for Seattle to play a cleanable crippled -- which Julio Rodriguez mentioned aft Sunday's loss. The Mariners made galore mistakes aboriginal successful Game 6, with antiaircraft errors from Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez and a baserunning mistake by J.P. Crawford. The Blue Jays consistently enactment the shot successful play and unit the defense, and Seattle has to respond amended to survive.

3. Which squad has the Game 7 pitching advantage, and why?

David Schoenfield: Slight borderline wide to the Blue Jays, mostly based connected however the pitching matchup played retired successful Game 3, erstwhile Bieber pitched good (six innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 8 strikeouts, 16 swinging strikes) and Kirby did not (four innings, 8 runs, 3 location runs, 9 swinging strikes). The Mariners person the late-game borderline with Andres Munoz, who volition person 2 days of remainder aft not pitching successful Game 6; Blue Jays person Jeff Hoffman threw 35 pitches Sunday.

The Mariners bash person immoderate aboriginal agelong alleviation options disposable successful Read Entire Article