Canada’s lone Major League Baseball team is in control of its destiny with four weeks left in the regular season. Securing one of the three wild-card spots remains a possible outcome for Toronto. Home-field advantage in a first-round series is a possibility, and there’s a slim chance of a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto begins a three-game set against the Texas Rangers on Friday night before returning to the Rogers Center for an eight-game homestand against division rivals. With a 76-60 record and some momentum thanks to a strong road trip, the Blue Jays look well positioned for the stretch drive. FESTIVAL OF THE EAST Six of Toronto’s eight remaining series will be against East Division opponents. A crucial five-game series against Tampa Bay begins next week before a three-game set against the Orioles. Entering Thursday’s games, idle Toronto was a half-game behind the Seattle Mariners (77-60) and 1 1/2 games behind the Rays (77-58). The division-leading New York Yankees (83-54) were five games ahead of Tampa Bay and 6 1/2 games ahead of the Blue Jays. In the wild-card game, Toronto was 4 1/2 games ahead of Baltimore and 7 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. Under the new playoff format, a pair of AL wild-card series will be played with the two highest-ranked division winners securing a division series bye. The other division winner (No. 3 seed) will host the third wild card team (No. 6 seed) in a best-of-3 series while the first wild card team (No. 4 seed) will host the second wild card team. – Leaf team (No. 5 seed) in the other. The Blue Jays have a 5.7 percent chance of winning the East and a 92.1 percent chance of securing a wild-card spot, according to the website FanGraphs. ACES HIGH The one-two punch of Alek Manoah (14-7, 2.42 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (11-9, 3.12) at the front of the rotation helped Toronto stay in the playoffs. Ross Stripling (7-4, 3.03) has been a reliable presence since replacing Hyun-Jin Ryu in the rotation, but has only worked into the seventh inning in two of his 19 starts. Inconsistency has plagued Jose Berrios (10-5, 5.23) all year, and Toronto’s No. 5 spot — previously held by reliever Yusei Kikuchi and more recently the demoted Mitch White — may be filled by openers from bullpen depending on the opponent. SWEET RELIEF The return of left-hander Tim Mayza from a two-week stint on the injured list last month helped solidify a bullpen anchored by all-star closer Jordan Romano. Yimi Garcia and trade-deadline acquisition Anthony Bass were solid high-leverage options, while sidearmer Adam Cimber was a workhorse with 63 innings for the team. A high speed option like Julian Merryweather could be used more often in the coming weeks. And shortstop Nate Pearson remains an intriguing possibility as he continues to progress on a minor league rehab mission. FROM SNEID John Schneider hasn’t been afraid to put his stamp on the team since being appointed interim manager following the mid-season sacking of Charlie Montoyo. The Blue Jays have been more aggressive on the basepaths under the new skipper, who has regularly sorted out the batting order. Schneider has also expanded Romano’s appearances more often than his predecessor. Romano, who shares the AL lead with 31 saves, has gone more than an inning just once under Montoyo this year. Under Schneider, the closer has recorded four saves on four occasions and made two two-out appearances. Schneider is 30-18 in his new role (.625 winning percentage) while Montoyo left when the team was 46-42 (.523). SWEET SPOT Preseason expectations were high for the Blue Jays, who were initially considered one of the favorites to reach the World Series. A strong 14-8 April record was followed by four months of mediocre results. Wins in eight of their last 10 games and a more balanced showing on the mound and at the plate have renewed postseason optimism. Toronto has 26 games to play, including nine against Tampa Bay, six against Baltimore and three against New York and Boston. The Blue Jays’ season ends in early October with a three-game road series against the Orioles.
