5 Keys to a strong 2nd half for the Toronto Blue Jays

Jul 2, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays players celebrate with left fielder Edwin Encarnacion at home plate after his three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth gave them a 7-4 win over Milwaukee Brewers at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

To say the Toronto Blue Jays had an up and down first half would be an understatement. If you were to measure the highs and lows of the Jays’ season, it would like a read-out from a seismometer, with wild spikes throughout.

The Blue Jays struggled a bit out of the gate, and then used a tremendous run in May to vault into the lead in the American League East. However, it was not sustainable and the team struggled through June and then closed out the first half with a 2-8 slide over their last 10 games. Coupled with an Orioles run of 7-3 during the same period, the Blue Jays lost their lead in the division and now sit on the outside of the postseason looking in.

However, all is not lost for the Toronto Blue Jays either.  At 49-47, the team sits just four games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place, a position they themselves held for much of the early part of the season. Given the state of play for the rest of the American League East, that is certainly not an insurmountable deficit. Toronto also faces just a 2.5 game deficit for an American League Wild Card spot, showing just how wide open the field truly is.

So as we gear up for the second half of the Major League Baseball season, we thought it would be prudent to look forward as see what the Blue Jays need to do in order to make a concerted run to the postseason.