For all intents and purposes, the Toronto Blue Jays are now in the same spot they were just a week ago against Texas. They're down two games against a very good team, and they're going to have to ultimately win a couple games on the road if they want their season to continue. The bad news though, is that they have to beat the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday if they want to head back out on the road.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Facing elimination, the Jays are understandably -140 favorites in Game 5, even a day after getting rocked 14-2.
While the total in the NLCS games continues to drop, the total here in the ALCS keeps going up. The number to beat is now a seemingly insanely high nine.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Edinson Volquez and Marco Estrada started this series, and they're both on the mound in Game 5 as well.
Volquez was awesome in that first game, throwing six shutout innings. He did have to throw 111 pitches to get through that span in spite of the fact that he only allowed two hits, and the fact that Toronto's batters saw so many pitches could play to their advantage in this one.
Estrada was probably a wee unlucky. He gave up a couple runs in the third and ended up with six hits and three runs allowed in 5.1 innings. That said, that was the first time Estrada didn't have a quality start in a game since September 12.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We're going to have to play our best game in order to beat these guys, and we need to do that Wednesday. We know what we have to do. They've played really well and pretty much dominated all facets of the game today." – Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson on what has to be done to keep their season alive
SITUATIONAL BETTING
It's been a couple long days in a row for the KC bullpen. The Royals used four different men to bail out Chris Young on Tuesday a day after Kris Medlen threw five frames on Monday. Franklin Morales, who pitched in both games, will probably not be available for this one, so the bullpen is going to end up being pretty short if there any long men are needed.
PROP TALK
Alcides Escobar has reached base in the first inning of every game in this series, and he just keeps pummeling the baseball. That's now six hits in eight at bats in his last two games, and he's scored four runs as well.
It's tough to bet against him or anyone else sitting atop that Kansas City lineup right now.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This pitching matchup doesn't thrill us for the Royals. Volquez probably will end up giving up a few runs in this game, especially against a Toronto offense which can explode at any given time.
It's hard to bet against KC as a dog, especially knowing that its offense has plated at least five runs in seven consecutive games, but we still think there's enough value here on Toronto to stave off elimination and send the series back to Kauffman Stadium.
Toronto 6, Kansas City 3
The baseball betting odds for this Wednesday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Blue Jays were favored in Game 3 at -135 along with a total of 9. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this televised baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers an adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don't have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone or tablet. Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! Game 5 of the ALCS between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays will take place Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 4:05 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. Catch the action live on FOX Sports 1.
