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.

Jul 5, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (10) leaves the field after injuring himself at first base during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

1.)    Get Healthy

Right now, the team is missing  three very important pieces to their line-up, having lost Edwin Encarnacion (quad), Brett Lawrie (fractured hand), and Adam Lind (foot fracture) until at the minimum early August. That has forced the Blue Jays to plug in various other pieces into a line-up that has been plagued by depth issues.

In order for the Blue Jays to contend, they need to get these bats back in the line-up, especially Encarnacion, who paces the team in home runs, RBI, and provides line-up protection for Jose Bautista.

The return of Lawrie will also benefit the team greatly. At the very least, he will cement either third or second base and remove one of the rotations the team is currently forced to play with Steve Tolleson, Juan Francisco, and Munenori Kawasaki. He provides a right-handed bat in the line-up that produces against lefties, something the Blue Jays are struggling immensely with right now.

Jul 11, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Aaron Loup (62) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 8-5. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

2.)    Find Some Consistency In The Bullpen

Last  season, the bullpen was among the best in baseball and was the single most stable piece of the Blue Jays “attack” in 2013. In 2014, the results have been nearly the opposite.

Entering play in the second half, the Blue Jays ranks 27^th in baseball in bullpen ERA (4.39), 26^th in walks, and only the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies have blown more saves in 2014. That’s a stark contrast from last season, when the Jays relievers ranked 9^th in ERA and blew only 19 leads.

The return of Casey Janssen helped solve the issues the team was having at the end of games, but stalwarts Aaron Loup and Brett Cecil have struggled with consistency, and All-Star Steve Delabar has found himself back in the minors. And that says nothing of Sergio Santos.

If the Jays want to put on a sustainable run, the bullpen needs to plug its holes.

Jul 13, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4.)    Find the real R.A. Dickey

When the Blue Jays acquired R.A. Dickey prior to the 2013 season, they were under the impression that they were getting a staff ace. What they got what a Jekyll and Hyde pitcher that was/is as unpredictable as the pitch he throws.

In 2013, Dickey was horrible in the first half, posting a 4.69 ERA and a 1.96 K/BB ratio. He improved in the second half, lowering his ERA to 3.56 and increasing his K/BB ratio to 3.54 in the process.

He mirrored that in 2014, posting a slightly better 4.30 ERA and a 1.91 K/BB ratio over his first 12 starts in 2014. However he’s started his rebound a bit earlier this season and started turning things around when the page on the calendar flipped to June. In his last 8 trips to the mound, Dickey has posted a 3.14 ERA and a 2.38 K/BB ratio. However, his home runs surrendered has also risen from 6 to 10 in that span.

If the Blue Jays are going to be successful, they need R.A. Dickey to assume the role that he was brought here to hold. Mark Buehrle needs some help at the top of the rotation, and a consistent Dickey would go a long way toward propelling the Jays into the postseason.

Jul 9, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman (54) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

5.)    Don’t fall prey to innings limits

With two young arms in Drew Hutchison and Marcus Stroman holding down very important spots in the rotation, there has become  growing concern that one or both could have inning limitations imposed on them.

Hutchison is in his first year back from Tommy John surgery and his 110 innings are just 39.1 away from his career high, set in 2011 when he was splitting time between Lansing, Dunedin, and New Hampshire. That’s a significant climb, and there has been times when Hutch has looked tired. However, there have also been times when he has looked dominant.

Likewise, Marcus Stroman has thrown 53.1 innings for the Blue Jays this season and another 35.2 for the Buffalo Bisons earlier this year. 2013 was his first year as a starter in the mInor league level and his set a career-high with 111.2 innings of work in just his second year of pro ball.

Unfortunately, the Blue Jays don’t have any other options to fall back on, and their needs on the offensive side of the ball are outweighing their need to make a move for the rotation. With both pitchers being just 23-years-old, the Blue Jays have an obvious desire to protect them for the future, and both will play a big role for the team along with Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris. However, the fate of the 2014 team falls pretty heavily on what the Jays choose to do with these two arms, and putting them on an innings limit will be likened to waving the flag and surrendering the season.