Blue Jays' season on the line against Royals

There is no more room for error for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Down 3-1 in their American League Championship Series, the Jays need a victory in Game 5 on Wednesday (4:07 p.m. ET) at the Rogers Centre if they want to make a return trip to Kansas City.

Toronto is in this dire situation after a14-2 drubbing it suffered at the hands of the defending AL champion Royals.

The rout was so bad that Jays manager John Gibbons used for the first time in post-season history a position player (Cliff Pennington) to pitch in the blowout loss.

"It's a do-or-die game for us, but they do it all year," said Gibbons. "These guys will let this one go, and they'll show up to play [Wednesday]."

They'll have to as the Royals won't let up. A victory in Game 5 will give Kansas City its second consecutive American League pennant.

"We're a good offensive team," Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "Our style of play is a little different. We like to use our legs and be athletic, but when we come to some of these parks where the fences aren't as deep, we've got some guys that can put the ball in the seats."

The Blue Jays have scored 16 runs in the series, with 11 and all three of their homers coming in their lone victory.

Pitching matchup

Royals RH Edinson Volquez (1-1, 2.31 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marco Estrada (1-1, 3.09)

Volquez was superb in the Royals' Game 1 victory, allowing only two hits over six scoreless innings. That performance was in Kansas City, however, and he will now try to duplicate it in Toronto, a significantlybetter ballpark for hitters.

"It's kind of a small ballpark and the balls just fly," Volquez said at his press conference. "It's not like you play in Kansas City, we've got a big ballpark, and the ball doesn't carry much. Here, the ball is flying everywhere."

Estrada lost against Volquez in the series opener as he allowed three runs and six hits in 5-1/3 innings. The Royals' penchant for being contact hitters makes it a tough assignment for Estrada, who typically doesn't strike out more than five batters in a game.

"If he pitches his game and he's on, we feel pretty good," Gibbons said at a press conference. "But they're different over there, meaning it's never an easy outing for a pitcher because they battle you."

Walk-offs

• Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista is 2-for-12 with six walks and no extra-base hits in the series.
• Royals SSAlcides Escobar is 9-for-15 with six runs and five RBIs, while CF LorenzoCain is 5-for-14 with five RBIs and has hit safely in a franchise postseason-record 13 consecutive games.
• Toronto C Russell Martin is hitless in eight at-bats in the ALCS and 3-for-23 overall this post-season.