Blue Jays AL East Recap: Jays Struggle to Use Momentum

Each week, Jays Journal will take a look at the bigger picture of the AL East to help frame not only where the Blue Jays are in the standings, but why they are there.

Baltimore Orioles: 40-28
Boston Red Sox: 39-29
Toronto Blue Jays: 39-33
New York Yankees: 34-35
Tampa Bay Rays: 31-36

Despite finding their power for the better part of the week, the Blue Jays dropped the last two games against the division-leading Baltimore Orioles. Entering Saturday, the Jays were but a game behind, now after two losses the Jays sit three games back in the AL East.

This is made more frustrating due to the fact that the Jays will not play a division foe for close to a month after a lengthy stretch against their rivals.

Even with the frustrating weekend, the Blue Jays saw many positives. The offence exploded, even after losing Jose Bautista to the disabled list with a toe injury. The bullpen, outside of Sunday’s finale in Baltimore, was as a whole rather stunning, much better than the Jays have seen this season.

The starting pitching had trouble at the beginning and end of the week, but spectacular starts by Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ, and Aaron Sanchez highlighted the week. The Blue Jays also saw star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki return from the DL. The Jays will need to capitalize on recent momentum outside of their division to stay relevant with their rivals.

Final Takeaway:
Despite failing to make up significant ground in the AL East, the Blue Jays rode a four-game win streak to remain relevant against division foes. As long as the Blue Jays stay consistent, they will remain in the mix. A key factor come time to choose if they are buyers or sellers.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the division…

Next: Orioles are sole Kings of the castle