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Some outstanding starting pitchers are set to match up in the American League Wild Card Series between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. Before Game 1 begins on Friday at 4:07 p.m. ET, let’s take a look at the probable pitchers for each club.
Blue Jays starting pitchers
Game 1: Alek Manoah
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Although Manoah is the only starter the Blue Jays have officially announced, it appears likely that Kevin Gausman and Ross Stripling will be set to toe the rubber. The Jays are just waiting to make sure that Gausman’s right middle finger is good to go. The righty left his most recent start early with a cut on that digit. Stripling may be a surprising option to some, considering that Toronto also has Jose Berrios in its rotation. But while Berrios has underwhelmed basically all year long, Stripling owns a 2.64 ERA over his past 19 starts.
Mariners starting pitchers
Game 1: Luis Castillo
Game 2: Robbie Ray
Game 3: Logan Gilbert
Seattle boasts an impressive trio of arms, although only Castillo has ever made a postseason start. He has a 2.99 ERA and 167 strikeouts across 150.1 innings this year. Ray hasn’t been as good this season compared to his 2021 Cy Young Award-winning campaign with Toronto last year, but he still ranks seventh in baseball with 212 K’s, and he limited the Jays to only one run over six innings in a Mariners victory back in July.