Blue Jays Morning Brew: Mo on Mo, Delabar on Real Sports, and Misguided Optimism

Sept 2, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Anthony Gose (8) hits an RBI triple during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Good Morning fellow Blue Jays fans, and welcome to another edition of the Blue Jays Morning Brew, where we intend to help ease you into your day by providing the best in Toronto Blue Jays links from around the web. Unfortunately, with the way the season has gone, it has been more like a swift slap to the face before we hand you your briefcase and kick you out the door.

One such swift kick was the crashing reality provided by Richard Griffin at The Star, where we points to the extra Wild Card for the false hope of contention that has lead teams to making misguided decisions in the offseason. Two teams in particular, the Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals, made decisions to contend by trading highly-regarded minor leaguers for proven veterans. Well, that has worked out in two decidedly different ways, as the Royals are still in the Wild Card hunt, whereas the Blue Jays will likely be mathematically eliminated Tuesday night.

That doesn’t mean that the Blue Jays games that still remain are not worth checking out. Take for instance the series that begins Tuesday against New York. Not only do the Blue Jays have the opportunity to play spoilers, but they also host the well-respected Mariano Rivera, who will be playing in his final series in Toronto before retiring at seasons end. If you want a sense of how dominant Rivera has been against the Blue Jays over the years, Mark Simon and Katie Sharp at ESPN have a great breakdown of Rivera’s numbers against Toronto.

Speaking of relief, April Whitzman in the MLB Fan Cave posted a link to HBO’s Real Sports, which highlighted Steve Delabar‘s remarkable comeback after shattering his elbow. It’s an inspiring story which we’ve all heard, and which we can all be encouraged by. Perseverance has paid off well for Delabar, and the Toronto Blue Jays. Depending on what the Blue Jays choose to do with Casey Janssen this winter, Steve Delabar could feasibly be in the closer competition when spring rolls back around. Hmm…spring rolls.

Evaluations are one of the fun parts about September, at least when your team has no sight of a playoff spot. One such player receiving a serious look is outfielder Anthony Gose, who the Sun’s Bob Elliot says the jury is still out on. Gose is making a better impression on the Blue Jays this time around, thanks to his desire to make adjustments and the solid results coming from those changes. Over his last nine games, Gose is hitting .300 with a double, 2 triples, a home run, and 5 RBI. It’s a small sample, but it’s a start, right?

And to wrap things up we hit up a wrap up, catching up with our buddy Jay Blue over at Blue Jays From Away. In his latest post, Jay takes a look at the Lansing Lugnuts 2013 campaign, handing out his year-end awards to the likes of Dwight Smith Jr., Daniel Norris, and Ian Kadish. Oh, and he’s got a surprise in store for the team’s Player of the Year.

That’s it for today Blue Jays fans. Don’t get lost in all the hubbub about the new Apple OS 7 release dates just yet, there is still baseball to be played and still some semblance of a reason to cheer for your Toronto Blue Jays.