Estrada gets start to open ALCS

Marco Estrada started the wheels in motion for the Toronto Blue Jays’ sweep of the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series when he opened the series with a dominant performance.

And Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons is sticking with that winning formula to start the American League Championship Series, which begins Friday against the host Cleveland Indians at 5 p.m. PST in a game televised on TBS, as Estrada was named the game one start on Wednesday.

“All I know, you look back at the last couple of years, how good Marco has been for us in big games, playoff games, and really two straight years of regular season games,” Gibbons told mlb.com. “I think he was kind of the logical choice. We could have gone with anybody and felt good, but he has been so good in that role and we’ll just shape it after him in the next couple of days.”

Estrada, a Glendale Community College product, took a shutout into the ninth inning against the Rangers before coming away with the victory after 8 1/3 innings of one-run ball.

As the Blue Jays make their second straight trip to the ALCS, Estrada brings a 3-1 record with a 1.95 earned-run average over four career postseason starts. All told, he has a 2.67 postseason ERA across eight appearances and 33 2/3 innings (he appeared as a reliever previously with the Milwaukee Brewers) with 30 strikeouts and just three walks.

Last season’s ALCS saw Estrada make two starts, going 1-1 against the Kansas City Royals.

Estrada pitched just once against the Indians this season, which resulted in a no-decision after he pitched five innings and allowed three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Estrada (9-9 with a 3.48 ERA in the regular season) will face off with Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA) to open the series. Game two is set for Saturday back in Cleveland and the series will shift to Toronto on Monday for game three with game four on Tuesday.