Ex-Files: Plenty of former Blue Jays struggling in 2016

David Price got out to a quick 5-1 lead but ended up allowing eight earned runs as the Red Sox fell 12-8 to the Rays.

Outside of Monday’s ugly loss to the Detroit Tigers, things have been going pretty smoothly for the Toronto Blue Jays.

They have won each of their last five series to move three games over .500 by performing very well against division opponents. On the flip side, many of the club’s former players have been scuffling with new teams.

So, for the third time this season, we take a look at 13 prominent former Blue Jays and how they have fared up to this point in 2016…

David Price, Boston Red Sox: Price pitched better in May after a rough April, but he’s still not performing close to expectations. On the season, the all-star lefty is 7-2 with a 4.88 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 22 walks in 75.2 innings.

Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets: Syndergaard is one of the few players on this list to far exceed expectations in 2016. There aren’t many pitchers performing better than the hulking right-hander as of late, as he has allowed only two earned runs over his last 24.1 innings for a sub-1.00 ERA. In total, Syndergaard has racked up six wins with 90 strikeouts, and a 1.91 ERA in 70.2 innings. It’s understandable that some Blue Jays fans are still bitter about the R.A. Dickey trade.

Ben Revere, Washington Nationals: Revere is back in the leadoff spot for the Nationals after an injury sidelined him for the first month of the season. However, the 28-year-old has not fared well at the plate since returning, batting .167 with a lousy .222 on-base percentage, one home run and two stolen bases.

Byron Kerr on Twitter

Dioner Navarro, Chicago White Sox: The former Blue Jays catcher was a beloved figure in Toronto’s clubhouse, but Navarro hasn’t made a huge impact at the plate since signing with the White Sox. The 32-year-old, who is sharing time with Alex Avila, has just one RBI since May 10 and is hitting .226/.266/.348 with two home runs in 36 games for the suddenly-declining White Sox.

Scott Chasen on Twitter

Mark Lowe, Detroit Tigers: The Blue Jays could get an up-close look at Lowe in Detroit this week, but they might not see him at his best. The veteran reliever has been scuffling lately, allowing five earned runs over his last three appearances. He now has an 8.50 ERA with a 1.72 WHIP on the season and has seen his fastball velocity dip, a decline he attributes to bad mechanics.

Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros: Rasmus’ offensive numbers took a huge dip after a great start. The 29-year-old has only homered once since April 25 and is hitting just .223/.313/.386 in 228 plate appearances. At least his unique personality hasn’t changed much since going to Houston.

Robert Ford on Twitter

Adam Lind, Seattle Mariners: Lind had a bit of an adjustment period as he transitioned back to the American League, but he found his swing in May, when he hit .282/.320/.521 with five home runs and 20 RBI while primarily playing against right-handed pitchers. He’s reverted back to his early-season struggles in June, as he has yet to record a hit this month.

Munenori Kawasaki, Chicago Cubs: Kawasaki has spent the majority of the season with triple-A Iowa, where he’s hit .252/.338/.319. He has not been with the Cubs since early April, when he appeared in only two games, but he remains one of the most entertaining characters in all of baseball.

Jacob Unruh on Twitter

Liam Hendriks, Oakland Athletics: Hendriks has had a tough go in his first season in Oakland. He struggled on the mound early (8.27 ERA on the season) before he was sidelined with a right triceps strain. The right-hander has not pitched since May 7, but is starting to make progress in his recovery after throwing a simulated game over the weekend.

Jane Lee on Twitter

Cliff Pennington, Los Angeles Angels: Pennington has had an up-and-down year playing the Darwin Barney role for the Los Angeles Angels. When healthy, he has performed well coming off the bench, hitting .276 with a .344 on-base percentage, but multiple hamstring injuries have limited him to 27 games. He was placed on the 15-day DL on June 1.

Danny Valencia, Oakland Athletics: Valencia, similar to Syndergaard, is surging this season, batting .343/.387/.580 with 9 home runs and 22 RBI in 155 plate appearances. He has homered in two of his last five games.

THE MINOR LEAGUERS

Jeff Hoffman, Colorado Rockies: The 6-foot-5 Rockies prospect, acquired last season in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki, has been relatively good in his first full triple-A season with the Albuquerque Isotopes (not the team from The Simpsons), going 3-3 with a 2.67 ERA, 60 strikeouts, 23 walks, and five home runs allowed in 67.1 innings.

Daniel Norris, Detroit Tigers: Norris only appeared in one MLB game this season as the 23-year-old lefty has been down with triple-A Toledo, going 3-5 with 5.12 ERA, 51 strikeouts, 19 walks, and one home run allowed in 45.2 innings. Norris is hoping to return to the majors soon as his long-time teammate Matt Boyd recently got a spot in the Tigers starting rotation. Both Boyd and Norris were dealt to Detroit last season in the deal for Price.

John Wagner on Twitter

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