AL Wild Card Preview: Blue Jays vs Orioles

(photo credit: sportschatplace.com)

The American League Wild Card race came down to the last day of the regular season, with the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays all sitting in the possible position of finishing in a three-way tie which would have required a tie-breaking procedure worthy of a primetime reality show. Alas, not only did Baltimore and Toronto win their last game of the season to guarantee their advancement, but Detroit eliminated themselves all on their own with a loss, just for good measure.

As a result, the Blue Jays and Orioles will meet at Toronto's Rogers Centre on Tuesday in a one-game winner take all matchup. The victor will advance to the AL Division Series against the Texas Rangers.

Neither team has announced their starting pitcher yet, with those announcements expected to come on Monday. Toronto will choose between Francisco Liriano and Marcus Stroman, while Baltimore will decide between Ubaldo Jimenez or Chris Tillman.

As important as pitching normally is, especially in the playoffs, the more intriguing factor headed into this game is the offensive firepower and explosive potential from both squads. While neither team finished in the top eight in runs scored or top 14 in batting average across the entire Major Leagues, they both finished top four in home runs.

In fact, five of the top 15 home run hitters in the entire league came from just these two teams, led by the Orioles' Mark Trumbo (47 home runs) and the Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion (42). Hits may not come in bunches, but when they appear, they will likely produce baseballs surging over outfield walls.

Both teams finished the season 89-73, and the season series could not have been tighter, with Toronto winning 10 of the matchups and Baltimore winning nine. That difference is what provided the Blue Jays with the home field advantage for this game. As they enter the matchup, Baltimore has won 7 of their last nine games, compared to Toronto's having lost four of their last seven. Whether this game turns into a slugfest, or the pitchers both find a groove and turn the game into a late-inning duel, the stakes are high and the anticipation higher.

The game will begin Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET, with all coverage on TBS.