Opposite dugout: Jays enter playoffs with raucous home crowd behind them

Manager: John Gibbons (9th season)

Record: 89-73

Last 10 games: 6-4

Who to watch: DH Edwin Encarnacion (.263 average with 42 HR, 127 RBIs); 3B Josh Donaldson (.284 average with 37 HR, 99 RBIs); CF Kevin Pillar (.266 average with 146 hits); RHP Marcus Stroman (9-10, 4.37 ERA); RHP Roberto Osuna (2.68 ERA, 36 saves)

Season series vs. Orioles: 10-9

Pitching matchup:

Oct. 4: RHP Chris Tillman vs. RHP Marcus Stroman, 8:08 p.m., TBS

Inside the Blue Jays:

There's certainly reason to celebrate for Blue Jays fans. For the first time since 1992-93, their team has secured its second straight trip to the postseason. They root for a team that finished last season two games shy of a trip to the World Series, a team largely unchanged from a year ago.

Yet, as in most cases, the success of the Blue Jays could easily be taken with a grain of salt. After taking a lead in the American League East heading into September, the Blue Jays scuffled to a 13-16 record to close out the season and had to win the final two games of the year against a hard-fought Red Sox team just to clinch a home playoff game.

Still, we've reached the wild card round, and it's going to be a good one. The Orioles and Blue Jays will face off in a winner-take-all matchup featuring the last two teams to fall in the American League Championship Series. It's a rivalry that has blossomed over the past few years, and a tightly knit one at that. Rogers Centre has become one of the top atmospheres in all of sports and expect the crowd to be defeaning for tonight's game. Through 19 games this season, the Blue Jays hold a slim 10-9 advantage over the Orioles, though Baltimore took two of three in Toronto just one week ago.

On offense, the Blue Jays finished the regular season 23rd in the major leagues with a .248 batting average, though when their guys do hit the ball, they hit it far. Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion just completed his fifth straight season with at least 35 home runs, tying a career high with 42 to complement a career-high 127 RBIs. Reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson's numbers have dipped slightly from a year ago, but he's still a force at the plate. Donaldson clubbed 37 home runs and led the Blue Jays with 164 hits. And speaking of hits, center fielder Kevin Pillar - known primarily for his outstanding glove work - has emerged as one of Toronto's top hitters. The 27-year-old hit .266 during the regular season and tallied 146 hits in as many games.

On the mound for the Blue Jays, manager John Gibbons has tagged right-hander Marcus Stroman, who is 13-5 career at Rogers Centre, to start the wild card game. Starters J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez combined for 35 wins on the year, but Happ pitched Saturday and Sanchez helped silence the Red Sox in Sunday's regular-season finale, meaning neither were going to be choices for tonight's contest. Against the Orioles this season, Stroman's numbers aren't awful, but it could be a quick night for the 25-year-old. He's 1-2 in four starts against them, and has allowed at least three earned runs in all four starts. In his last start against the Orioles, Stroman allowed four earned runs on nine hits over seven innings, but the Blue Jays couldn't provide any offense for him in a 4-0 loss in Toronto.

Should Stroman find himself in trouble early, the Blue Jays bullpen might also be in for a long night. Toronto finished 22nd in bullpen ERA at 4.11 with opponents hitting .254 against relief pitchers. Closer Roberto Osuna stood tall against the Red Sox in Sunday's win, but gave up a game-winning home run to Baltimore's Hyun Soo Kim on Wednesday. If the two should face off again, it'll be interesting to see if that demon still haunts the closer.