Off-Day question: Why are the Jays so bad in 1 run games?

No Jays game today and it’s my wife’s birthday. She wants to go hiking, so I’m going to be away from the keyboard for several hours. So I figured I’d post a question that you guys can discuss.

After a pair of 1-run losses this weekend in Cleveland, I thought I’d ask your opinions on why we have been so bad in 1-run games these past several years.

The Jays, for like 15th year in a row (not quite but nearly every year for the last 15), have a crappy record in 1-run games. We are 14-22 in 1-run games this year. Last year we were 15-28.

We did have a winning record in 2011, by a game, 29-28 and back in 2007 we were 29-25 in those games. 2006 was a really good year for one-run games 20-10, but then 2005 we were back to normal, 16-31. 2004 17-22. 2003 14-23.

In that period we've had good teams and bad teams but the constant has been bad records in the 1-run game.

Before 2003, we were more normal, we had good years and bad.

It’s a stretch that covers different managers, different GMs, total different lineups, different bullpens (some good, some lousy). I don’t really see one trait that should explain it.

Over reliance on the home run? I don’t see why but maybe, who knows?

Bad ‘clutch players’? Well, over that many years we’ve had several total turnovers in the roster. I'm not sure how they all could be lousy clutch players (if there was such a thing).

Gibby? I don’t know. We were bad under Farrell and Gaston too. We had a pretty good couple of years, for 1-run game records, under Buck Martinez (so I’d guess strength of manager has little to do with it).

I don’t know, give us your best theory.