MLB playoff picture: How do the Blue Jays match up with the Seattle Mariners?

The Blue Jays have clinched home-field advantage for the MLB wild-card series but how would Toronto fare against the Seattle Mariners in a three-game postseason set?

Video Transcript

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JULIA KREUZ: The Mariners haven't been to the playoffs since 2001. And that was the longest drought in major sports. Now, of course, this team does not want it to end at the wild card series, which means that the Blue Jays are in for a real challenge.

There are some questions surrounding Seattle right now. Namely, is Julio Rodriguez going to be healthy enough while he deals with a neck strain to be a real impact in his rookie season? What about Eugenio Suarez, who has also handled some injuries? So in the offensive front, the Blue Jays, although also dealing with a couple of ailments of their own, seem to have a leg up on Seattle.

Toronto has been top two or three in the league in offensive production all year long, which far outpaces Seattle. That said, the Mariners pitching has been their real strength in 2022. Toronto will likely face former Blue Jay Robbie Ray in one of those games.

And he has led an extremely productive Mariners rotation, one that can cause problems for Blue Jays hitters should they come out a little aggressive or maybe a little anxious for this Wild Card three-game set. The Mariners also have plenty of left-handed batters, which could cause problems for a guy like, say, Alek Manoah, who has seen his splits indicate that he does a lot better against right-handed hitters.

But that didn't seem to be a problem for Manoah in his one start against Seattle in the regular season-- 7 and 1/3 innings, seven strikeouts, and just two runs allowed. He did walk four, so that's something that maybe we should keep an eye on for this series and the eventual game that Manoah gets against the Mariners. But overall, very encouraging numbers for the Blue Jays maybe 1A or 1B ace.

Kevin Gausman, speaking of aces, was also solid in his regular season start against Seattle. And another Jays starter that was absolutely phenomenal, Jose Berrios, who has had a bit of his struggles in the final month of the season, but remains one of the most experienced starters in this Blue Jays rotation.

There will be no shortage of emotion. There will be no shortage of storylines. And both fan bases are in for a real treat.