Toronto Blue Jays face capital foe in Washington Nationals

May 31, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Twins won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to take one step forward and two steps back.  In a series that easily could have been a sweep over the Minnesota Twins, the Toronto Blue Jays dropped two of three due to a rash of self-inflicted wounds.  The Jays will now travel to Washington to face the talented Nationals, who sit atop the NL East with a 28-22 record.

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One of the biggest holes in Toronto’s boat has been an outfield defense that very loosely resembles “baseball”.  Chris Colabello has swung a hot stick since his recall from AAA Buffalo, but his ability to track fly balls has been downright ugly.  Mercifully, Jose Bautista will be returning to right field for this series which should allow for a stronger defensive look.  I’ll be holding my breath on his first long throw, though.

Despite their flaws, the Blue Jays remain just 3.5 games out of first place in the AL East.  While many find solace in this statistic, it’s important to realize that this division will not stay weak forever.  Boston and New York will not hesitate to flood high-priced talent onto their roster should this race remain tight, meaning that the time to make a move is now.

Next: Across the diamond: Meet the Nationals

May 24, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) scores a run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Across the Diamond:  Washington Nationals

Let’s be blunt: the Washington Nationals are not the ideal team to kickstart your season turnaround.  Not only do the Nats boast one of the most talented starting rotations in Major League Baseball, they may also feature the league’s most dangerous hitter.

The young Bryce Harper enters play hitting .325 with 18 home runs and 43 runs batted in, topping Toronto’s own superstar Josh Donaldson in all categories.  He may need to buy a two seats on commercial flights to allow room for his ego, but the man produces.

Thankfully for Toronto, the Nationals lineup is more manageable outside of Harper.  Their .254 team batting average ranks 13th in the league, but with R.A. Dickey and Marco Estrada set to lead off the series, the Jays’ fear will be the home run ball.  In that area, Washington ranks ninth with 55.

Ryan Zimmerman has been producing runs early (33 RBI) but has shuffled his feet to a .228 average.  Old friend Yunel Escobar has shot out of the gates with a .313 average, but the Blue Jays may catch a break in the outfield.  Jayson Werth is currently sidelined with two fractures in his wrist while Denard Span was forced to leave Sunday’s game with a sore knee.  We wish Span a full and speedy recovery, but strongly recommend three games of rest.

Next: Game 1: Dickey seeks competency

May 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) prior to the start of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1:  Monday, June 1st  –  7:05 ET

R.A. Dickey will take the ball in game one for the Blue Jays, which shouldn’t be a reason for celebration.  In Dickey’s last seven starts, he has allowed four or more earned runs seven times.  A complete game against the Los Angeles Angels on May 21st inspired some quiet hope around Toronto, but his most recent outing saw the kunckler regress, allowing five runs on eight hits over 5.0 innings pitched.

Jordan Zimmerman will counter for Washington, and in his past eight starts, he’s allowed four or more runs zero times.  His record now sits at 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, and Zimmerman has been building momentum consistently over the past few weeks.

Zimmerman has lost a little zip off his fastball this season, but can still reach 92-93 MPH with consistency. He will also feature a sweeping slider on nearly one quarter of his pitches and will infrequently pull out a curveball that he likes to bury in the dirt late in counts.

Next: Game 2: Estrada vs. Scherzer? Help!

May 29, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) congratulates starting pitcher Mark Buehrle (56) on a complete game win against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Minnesota Twins 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3:  Wednesday, June 3rd  –  7:05 ET

Mark Buehrle will close out the series in what should be the most winnable game of the set.  Stephen Strasburg was scheduled to start in this spot for the Nationals but will be replaced after his recent trip to the disabled list, leaving the door cracked open.  For the Jays, Buehrle will look to build on a strangely beautiful complete game in his last outing.

After pitching an inning of batting practice to the Minnesota Twins on May 29th that left the Jays down 4-0 after one, Buehrle locked in.  He allowed just one single through the rest of the game, completing 9.0 innings in the victory to move his record to 6-4.

Across the diamond, a starter has yet to be named but the likeliest option seems to be A.J. Cole.  The 23-year old Cole is currently in AAA, but looked strong in his last MLB relief outing on May 23rd, striking out seven batters over 4.1 scoreless innings after taking over for Strasburg.  If Cole is the man, he’ll feature a low-90’s fastball that he leans on frequently, a low-80’s changeup, slider and curve.

Next: Blue Jays reach decision time with Randy Wolf