MLB Playoffs: Blue Jays vs Mariners, Dodgers to sweep? Analysis and lineups

The 2025 MLB playoffs season is coming to an end, and the excitement intensifies with two crucial games on Friday. The four teams involved face significant challenges in their quest to advance in the postseason.

Key Games in the American and National Leagues

The first matchup of the day will be Game 5 of the American League Championship Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners. The winner will be one victory away from securing their place in the World Series. Later, the current champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, could sweep the Milwaukee Brewers, the top-seeded team, if they achieve victory in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Here are the key details, including the lineups and starting pitchers.

Lineups and Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners (6:08 p.m. ET)Series tied 2-2

• Starting Pitchers: Kevin Gausman vs. Bryce Miller

Toronto Lineup:

1. George Springer (DH)
2. Nathan Lukes (LF)
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B)
4. Alejandro Kirk (C)
5. Daulton Varsho (CF)
6. Ernie Clement (3B)
7. Addison Barger (RF)
8. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B)
9. Andres Gimenez (SS)

Seattle Lineup:

1. Julio Rodriguez (CF)
2. Cal Raleigh (C)
3. Jorge Polanco (DH)
4. Josh Naylor (1B)
5. Randy Arozarena (LF)
6. Eugenio Suarez (3B)
7. J.P. Crawford (SS)
8. Dominic Canzone (RF)
9. Leo Rivas (2B)

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (8:38 p.m. ET)Los Angeles leads the series 3-0

• Starting Pitchers: Jose Quintana vs. Shohei Ohtani

Lineups to be confirmed

Games Analysis

ALCS Game 5: Blue Jays – Mariners

How can the Blue Jays maintain their momentum in Game 5? Toronto’s ace, Kevin Gausman, arrives fully rested and ready to pitch. He could draw inspiration from Max Scherzer’s work, who was successful against the Mariners by slowing down his pitches. Seattle’s hitters seemed prepared for fastballs against Scherzer, but he opted for variable-speed pitches. Gausman has an exceptional changeup.

The key for the Blue Jays is to keep hitting hard. Few teams have managed to dismantle the Mariners’ pitching staff in Seattle as the Blue Jays did in the first two games. They connected on 21 balls with an exit velocity of over 100 mph, with 16 of those hits and 11 of them resulting in extra bases. The Blue Jays’ offense, which had the lowest strikeout rate in the regular season, has demonstrated its lethality by putting the ball in play. In addition, it’s an advantage to have players like Andres Gimenez, who has hit two home runs, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has performed well after some difficult games.

What should the Mariners do differently to save their last home game in this ALCS? Pitcher Bryce Miller impressed by pitching well with little rest, and now faces similar pressure in Game 5. The Blue Jays hitters are on a roll after a couple of days with great offense. Mariners manager Dan Wilson could be aggressive with his bullpen, especially with closer Andres Munoz and regular season ace Bryan Woo.

Seattle’s pitchers need more strikeouts against the Blue Jays, but their offense must also produce. In nine playoff games, the Mariners are only batting .215, and several key players are struggling. Randy Arozarena has an OPS of .536, Eugenio Suarez has an OPS of .475, and Dominic Canzone, an important player in the second half, is 2 for 19 in the postseason. Against Gausman, a left-handed hitter like Canzone is important.

NLCS Game 4: Brewers – Dodgers

What must the Brewers do to avoid the sweep in Game 4? First, they need Jackson Chourio to be healthy enough to play. Then, they must apply pressure from the start, keep the score tight, and force Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to use his bullpen earlier than he’d like. The Brewers need to hit better, especially Christian Yelich, who is underperforming in the series. The Dodgers are not built to win many games where their relievers need to get 10 outs to maintain a small lead. The Brewers need to improve in all aspects to turn the tide of this series, but scoring runs is the number one priority.

The Brewers have managed nine hits in the first three games of the series. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow allowed three each in their starts. Blake Snell allowed one in his start. Alex Vesia and Roki Sasaki allowed one in a relief appearance. They have scored a total of three runs. Striking out 30% of the time doesn’t help, and the fact of facing Shohei Ohtani, who had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of almost 7 to 1 in the regular season, only intensifies the need to improve. What is expected of Shohei Ohtani in his first NLCS start? Ohtani will be on the mound with 12 days of rest. The last time he had so much time off between starts was September 16, when he faced the Philadelphia Phillies after an 11-day break. What followed was five hitless innings against one of the best offenses in the sport. The Brewers’ lineup is not as threatening as the Phillies’, but the team will play desperately and, unlike Game 3, will not have to bat in the shadow. Ohtani will be in good shape, regularly reaching three figures with his fastball. The question is whether he can overcome his offensive slump. Ohtani has slowly built up to be able to pitch in long outings, and his stuff has returned immediately, which isn’t always the case after major surgeries. Ohtani has never thrown his average fastball harder, and his sweeper remains one of the best pitches in the game. Milwaukee didn’t handle the velocity of more than 97 mph well during the regular season, and what makes it particularly problematic is the wide variety of other pitches Ohtani has to keep them off balance. His first postseason start was six innings, the same as his previous start to end the regular season. If he does the same in Game 4, the Dodgers should be in a good position.