Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons speaks with reporters during a press conference ahead of Game 5 in the ALDS playoffs in Toronto on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Having already emerged victorious in three must-win games during their 2015 playoff run, the Toronto Blue Jays will look to Marco Estrada to carry the day once again Wednesday afternoon against the Kansas City Royals.
With their pitching staff in disarray, the Blue Jays desperately need a quality start from their 13-game regular-season winner in order to extend their American League Championship Series to Game 6 back in Kansas City.
"It's vital that we get something out of Marco -- quality and innings," Toronto manager John Gibbons said Wednesday morning, several hours before the start of Toronto's game against the Royals at Rogers Centre.
The Royals lead the best-of-seven playoff 3-1 and with one more victory will advance into their second consecutive World Series.
As for the Blue Jays, they've been in this situation before, after dropping the first two games to the Texas Rangers in the best-of-five A.L. Divisional Series.
Toronto then won the next three do-or-die games to win the series and move on against the Royals.
The task at hand against the Royals will not be easy, with the Blue Jays pitching in tatters following a 14-2 setback to Kansas City in Game 4 at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night.
Toronto starter R.A. Dickey only lasted 1 and 2/3-innings in the contest and forced Gibbons to essentially empty his bullpen, which was already shorthanded with the absence of lefty Aaron Loup, who is attending to a personal family matter.
Loup will not be available again for Game 5 and Gibbons said it is essential that they get some length out of Estrada if they hope to beat K.C.
It will be Estrada's third playoff start, helping the Blue Jays stave off elimination in Game 3 of the ALDS as Toronto earned a 5-1 victory over the Rangers.
In Game 1 of the ALCS against the Royals, Estrada was not as fortunate, getting knocked around as K.C. emerged with a 5-0 triumph.
"I'm taking this game just like a regular season game," Estrada said on Tuesday. "It helps me out mentally and it's made me have a pretty good year, I guess.
"Obviously against Texas it was the same thing, we were down 2-0. I didn't think about it that way. I thought it's the first game we're playing against them. You have to make pitches regardless if you're up 2-0 or up 3-0 or whatever."
Depending on how it goes Wednesday with Estrada, Gibbons said he will not hesitate to call upon some of his other starters to work in relief, including David Price and Dickey.
Marcus Stroman, who earned the victory in Toronto's 11-8 win on Monday, would not be available to pitch, Gibbons said.
If Price gets into Wednesday's game and Toronto manages a victory, Gibbons said he would probably come back with Stroman to start Game 6 in K.C. on just three days rest.
And if the series is somehow extended to a Game 7 on Saturday, Gibbons said he would likely consider either Price or Dickey as his starting pitcher.
"To this point we've been outplayed by Kansas City, really," Gibbons conceded. "The first three games, really , couple of them could have gone either way."
Tuesday's outcome, Gibbons said, "got so ugly, that's kind of soured a lot of the series to this point.
"But they're good. They're beating us. That's really all it is."