What are the Toronto Blue Jays playoff odds?

The Toronto Maple Leafs forgot to tell the Toronto Blue Jays you’re supposed to wait until the last month of the season to collapse, not the second last month.

It feels like an eternity ago now but the Jays started August 60-50 and were on a six-game winning streak that had them three games up on the Mariners for the second wild card spot and only 1.5 games back of the Orioles in the AL East.

But the Jays have started August with a ugly 4-12 record and now winning the AL East is hardly even an option even with six games against their division foes. The Blue Jays are nine games back of the Orioles with just 36 games to go.

And how about them Royals?

Just when you thought the second wild card was a three team race between the Jays, Mariners and Yankees, the Royals get hot at the same time the Tigers go through a bad stretch to take over first place in the AL Central.

So now the Jays also have to compete with whoever finishes second in the Central for the second wild card.

The Mariners and Tigers are both 11 games above .500 while the Jays are now just two games over.

So the Jays need to get in that area and get there soon because there isn’t much season left.

The math isn’t on the Jays side but unlike most Jays teams of the past, this year’s team has shown its capable of going on a run. They have a five-game winning streak, a nine-game winning streak and two six-game winning streaks. Side thought: How do you manage to be only two games above 500 while doing that!!?!

And there’s plenty of reason to believe it’s possible now that the lineup is healthy minus Brett Lawrie.

The Jays scored 16 runs in the first three games Lind and Encarnacion played together since returning from injury. But you already knew the Jays lineup was nothing to mess with when healthy.

If the rotation can just find consistency and the Jays can add something before the waiver trade deadline hopefully they can go on a run and maybe we’ll see October baseball.

And oh if the Orioles, Mariners, Royals, Tigers, Yankees, Rays and Indians could start losing on a consistent basis that would be great!

(Editor’s note: According to Baseball Prospectus, the Toronto Blue Jays probability of reaching the postseason is 6.7%. FanGraphs lists their playoff odds at 5.3%.)