Blue Jays’ rotation: Formidable foursome

While the Blue Jays’ big, beefy offence is still their calling card, the team’s success in the latter half of the season coincided with improved starting pitching. In the first half of the season, they had the third-worst starters’ ERA in the American League; in the second half they had the second-best.

Yes, they added David Price at the trade deadline and Marcus Stroman in September, but they also got better performances from their incumbent pitchers.

Here’s a look at how the Jays’ starters will line up in the post-season:

David Price, LHP: The ace, the hired gun, the most prized piece at this year’s trade deadline, Price will lead the pitching staff. Since arriving in Toronto at the deadline, the six-foot-six, hard-throwing lefty has emerged as a front-runner to win his second Cy Young award, leading the league in ERA. He also boosted his already-high strikeout rate since coming to the Jays.

Marcus Stroman, RHP: Like found money, Stroman joined the Jays in September following his remarkable return from his spring-training ACL injury. Once thought lost for the season, Stroman’s comeback has been surprising on multiple levels, not least of which being how he seems to have picked up exactly where he left off a year ago, when he emerged as one of the best young pitchers in baseball. While Stroman possesses a deep arsenal of pitches, he has continued to lean on his sinker — a pitch he developed only midway through last season — as his 60 per cent ground-ball rate will attest.

Marco Estrada, RHP: Perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises of the season for the Jays, Estrada was an afterthought in spring training. He started the year as a long reliever in the bullpen, but soon emerged as one of the team’s top starters. His second-half ERA is second-best in the American League, behind only Price. Armed with one of the best changeups in baseball, Estrada has the highest rate of “soft” contact among Jays’ starters and ranks among the top 10 in the AL in that regard.

R.A. Dickey, RHP: After his usual slow start, the 40-year-old knuckleballer was much better in the second half of the season. He ranked among the top five American League starters in ERA in the second half, while dramatically lowering his walks and home runs. The improvement was due in part to a mechanical adjustment in his delivery that allowed him to throw his knuckleball harder. Despite his vulnerability to home runs, Dickey has allowed among the lowest rates of “hard” contact in the majors this season. He could be slotted ahead of or behind Estrada based on the weather or particular matchups. Brendan Kennedy