The Toronto Blue Jays have 38 games to create some separation in the American League East.
If the season ended today, the Blue Jays and Red Sox would face off in a one-game playoff for the division title, with the loser playing the Orioles in the Wild Card game. Only then could the AL Division Series begin.
Safe to say the Blue Jays would prefer to avoid that fate, and they can help themselves out this week since they’re facing a pair of struggling opponents…
Tuesday, Aug. 23 – 7:07 p.m. ET
R.A. Dickey vs. Tyler Skaggs
Wednesday, Aug. 24 – 7:07 p.m. ET
Marco Estrada vs. Matt Shoemaker
Thursday, Aug. 25 – 7:07 p.m. ET
J.A. Happ vs. Jered Weaver
SOFT SCHEDULE
The Blue Jays play their next six games against two last-place teams, the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins. As John Gibbons often says, there are no guarantees, even against relatively weak competition. On paper, though, the Blue Jays should win both series and gain ground in the AL East during the upcoming homestand.
They’re playing the Angels at the right time, as Los Angeles is 3-14 since Aug. 3. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are visiting the Rays and the Orioles are hosting the Nationals.
MVP CANDIDATES ON DISPLAY
With nearly a quarter of the season remaining, there’s plenty of time for the AL MVP race to develop, but it’s a pretty safe bet that last year’s winner and runner-up will figure in prominently.
Even though he plays for a last-place team, Mike Trout deserves serious consideration for the award. He’s hitting .308 with a .426 on-base percentage, 23 home runs and 20 stolen bases. No MLB player has generated more wins above replacement than Trout, according to both Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.
But it’s still too early to rule out last year’s winner, Josh Donaldson. With 28 home runs and a .955 OPS, the third baseman’s on track to replicate last year’s numbers. Mookie Betts will also earn strong consideration, while Jose Altuve might be the front-runner considering he leads the league with a .364 batting average, has a career-high 20 home runs and owns a 1.001 OPS.
ELITE RELIEF
While strikeouts are valuable for any pitcher, they’re especially useful for high-leverage relievers who often enter games with runners on base and little room for error.
So which AL relievers strike out the most opponents? The top of the list includes familiar names such as Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Craig Kimbrel. Edwin Diaz, the Seattle Mariners’ dominant rookie closer, ranks third in strikeout percentage.
Rounding out the top five? None other than Jason Grilli, who has whiffed 38.1 per cent of hitters since the Blue Jays acquired him from the Atlanta Braves. Not only that, Grilli ranks second in the league behind Zach Britton with an opponents’ average of .147. All told, the 39-year-old right-hander has allowed just 14 hits in 28.2 innings with Toronto while striking out 40.
NOT-SO-ELITE RELIEF
Sunday’s loss underscored one of the Blue Jays’ weaknesses. Jose Ramirez’s home run against Brett Cecil was a reminder that the Blue Jays have had trouble getting steady left-handed relief this year.
Cecil has a 5.13 ERA with a diminished strikeout rate and a career-worst home run rate. If the Blue Jays were truly convinced that Aaron Loup was a shutdown option, he presumably wouldn’t have spent the majority of the season at triple-A.
Considering the volume of quality left-handed hitters in the AL (David Ortiz, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi of the Red Sox, for example), the Blue Jays should be looking at southpaw relievers before the Aug. 31 deadline for adding players with post-season eligibility.
BIAGINI TRENDING WELL
If anything, Joe Biagini has pitched better as the season has progressed. Since the beginning of July the Rule 5 pick has a 0.82 ERA with 23 strikeouts against just three walks in 22 innings.
Biagini has recorded at least four outs on 16 different occasions, establishing himself as one of Toronto’s most capable multi-inning options.
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