TORONTO -- Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is liked among his peers for many reasons, but two of his better attributes are his honesty and his composure. Down three games to none in the American League Championship Series, Gibbons didn't try to lie his way through the obvious or lose his calm demeanor.
"It's definitely a daunting task, but it's been done before," Gibbons said.
One time in the history of the sport has a team returned from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. In 2004, the Boston Red Sox did it to the New York Yankees, breaking a curse that was 86 years old.
If you Google the stories that ran after Game 3 of that series, it is pretty much guaranteed you won't find any predicting a comeback. It's hard to see the Jays winning this series, even if they do get past Corey Kluber on Tuesday with the Indians' starting pitching so bloodied.
The Jays can't hit right now. They have scored a grand total of three runs in three games after losing 4-2 on Monday. In their clubhouse, there was a sense they would have preferred Trevor Bauer remain in the game on Monday, especially because, with his bloody pinky, they felt his stuff was diminished.
"I see the ball pretty good against him," Jays catcher Russell Martin said. "Personally, I wish he had stayed in the game."
Kevin Pillar mentioned that with Bauer's pinky pouring blood, Bauer might not have been able to throw his changeup. But Gibbons did what he had to do, forcing Bauer out after just four batters, two of which he walked.
Still, Gibbons had to figure -- with Cleveland manager Terry Francona needing to find 25 outs -- his potent lineup could get to the Indians' pen before the 1-2 punch of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen entered. It didn't happen.
"Tito," Gibbons said, referring to Francona by his nickname, "did a masterful job running that bullpen."
Gibbons is staying loose and relaxed, which can only help a club that can't score anymore, even against a seemingly weakened opponent. Gibbons said he will not tinker with his lineup in Game 4 or say anything special to try to change the tone. His guys, he said, know what is in front of them.
"I don't know what you'd tell them," Gibbons said. "It's a veteran group. ... They know what's at stake. They worked hard to get to this point, anyway. One thing we do, we're resilient. We show up and play. Nobody shuts it down, that's for sure. So they'll be out there tomorrow."
Tomorrow is Tuesday, Game 4, which could be the last day of the season for the Jays.
"Either you win or you go home," Martin said. "I don't want to go home."
It is hard to explain the Jays' offense in this series. You could chalk it up to the randomness of baseball. It is just three games in a sport that is best judged over a long period of time. But the Jays have been outmaneuvered, with Francona pushing each and every chess board piece to the right spot.
The Jays need some luck, which has been in short supply for them. With Allen in the game in the seventh, Josh Donaldson was at the plate with two outs and the tying runs on base. Donaldson hit a ball on the screws, a hard, sinking liner to left. But it stayed up long enough for Coco Crisp to charge in and make the catch. The Blue Jays wouldn't threaten again.
"I was expecting to score more runs," Martin said. "Maybe we are saving them for Game 4, 5, 6 and 7."
The Blue Jays can only hope, because so far they have been totally shut down and are on the verge of being swept. Forget Trevor Bauer's pinky, it's the Blue Jays that are a bloody mess.