Series Preview: Blue Jays Aim to be Pesky Against Red Sox

8. As Peter Griffin maight say:

8 Freakin’ Wins.

It’s true kids. 8 freakin’ wins. In a row! There has been a winning barrage brought upon these hills. People are starting to talk a little more and a little more about how far this win streak can go. You know you are having good ju-ju  when a 27 year old rookie call up for a spot start tosses 7 innings of 1 run, no walk ball (hello Scott Copeland). It’s the kind of depth teams yearn for, especially when they need to be cautious of injury concerns to one of the top 5 (soreness Aaron Sanchez? I don’t like the sounds of that.).

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The Blue Jays continue to beat the snot out the baseball and up their MLB leading run scoring total (50 more than the next team…the Yankees) and yet their pitching is better but still are only better than the Red Sox in terms of team ERA in the AL. It will be the team pitching that dictates whether the streak continues or falls to the ranks of possible longest of the season. For now, enjoy it. Revel in it. If they can continue it going through Bahston then perhaps they will finally be a playoff caliber team.

May 29, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (34) before the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Sox continue to wash themselves in mediocrity this season. David Ortiz was benched against Wei-Yin Chen and the Baltimore Orioles. Why? He is hitting .118 against lefties this season and .219 overall. He is getting to the point where he will be most efficiently used if he is given a few days off throughout the season. The rest of the lineup has performed more or less as expected if you aren’t Mike Napoli or Pablo Sandoval…

Aside from some 30 year old rookie named after comedian Steven Wright, and possible lightning in a bottle Eduardo Rodriguez, all the Boston starters have an ERA above 4 (Wright’s ERA is 3.65 Rodriguez is 0.44 after 3 starts). The bullpen has been decent and Koji Uehara is doing his best to save what games he is given but unless the starters turn it around it is going to be one long season in Boston.

May 31, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Drew Hutchison (36) pitches in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Drew Hutchison (5-1, 4.91 ERA) vs Joe Kelly (2-4, 5.40 ERA)

So Hutchison hasn’t fared so well against the Red Sox this year (7 runs in 9 innings) but he wasn’t doing so hot in general early in the season. In his last 7 games his ERA has been under 4 (3.80), he is striking out a hair under a batter an inning and his WHIP is a very good 1.19. So should we be seeing a turn of the corner where Hutch has evolved into an effective starter every fifth day? Not quite but he is still only 24 and seems to be getting better as the season goes forward. He will never be a ground ball pitcher so he will give up his share of home runs but other than that he seems to have achieved the quality start 4 out of 5 times scenarios. When he is off he is WAY off but when he is good….

Joe Kelly is a personal favourite of John Farrell and has performed….meh. He looked great in his first two seasons in the majors when he toiled for the St. Louis Cardinals. Bring him to the hitter happy American League and it hasn’t been so rosy so far. After a 7 run debacle in late May, Kelly has given up just 1 run in each of his next 2 starts. His WHIP is kind of bland but his GO/AO ratio is 1.39 and that isn’t too bad. If he can get a few more strikeouts a game he may be able to get himself deeper and give the bullpen a very very needed rest.

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 2: R.A. Dickey  vs Clay Buchholz (3-6, 4.07 ERA)

Dickey is what he is. Esentially the fourth starter in the rotation that logs innings and keeps the team in the game…barely. Hitters for the Red Sox have done pretty well against him….especially David Ortiz (.400 in 15 at bats). There is no real big time ownership of Dickey by the current roster of Sox but the way Dickey is going this year you can expect a couple homers in the bandbox that is Fenway Park. Just hope the wind stays calm and Dickey can keep control of his knuckle ball. If he doesn’t hit his spots (a la Mark Buehrle) it could be a bad scene for the Blue Jays Saturday afternoon.

Clay Buccholz is the enigma of the Red Sox rotation. Boomed out to a great career start with a no-hitter and a great live fastball. He still has that fastball but he can’t seem to out it where he needs to. Guys like Russell Martin (16 AB, 4 HR, 7 RBI) eat him up. He has had decent success though against two of the big sluggers Jose Bautista (45 AB, .267 BA, 4 RBI) and Edwin Encarnacion (29 AB, .207 BA, 2 HR , 4 RBI).  Aside from Martin and Encarnacion he he has given up no homers to any of the other regulars. That gives him a chance every time out. He has a 3.80 ERA in his last 7 games and overall is giving up few homers (5 all season) and a decently low number of walks (20) and a strikeout an inning. Perhaps he is turning the corner and finally harnessing his stuff. His 19.38 ERA with RISP is his big problem. get through that and this could be the game the Red Sox kill the winning streak.

Jun 8, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marco Estrada (25) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Marco Estrada (3-3, 3.78 ERA)  vs Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 0.44 ERA)

Estrada is doing exactly what Dickey is doing. With three straight quality starts he has proven a dependable innings eater. His WHIP of 1.20 is pretty decent considering he was sort of pegged as the long relief guy…and the guy who would be put in that roll once Daniel Norris returns. Estrada’s big weakness was giving up home runs and so far in 7 starts he has given up 6. That’s better but still giving up a homer per outing is a thorn in his side. He will be judged on his ability to throw strikes and keeping the ball in the park. A flyball pitcher, he better hope that most of those fly balls are hit to Kevin Pillar or Jose Bautista because Chris Colabello in left with the Green Monster could be an adventure.

Eduardo Rodriguez is a 22 year old rookie who is turning heads in Boston and beyond. His poise is amazing and he has a power fastball that gives hitters fits. In 20.1 innings he has given up one run (a home run by the Twins Brian Dozier), struck out 21 and hitters so far are hitting .116 against him. If he continues to dominate this way over the course of the season, look for him to be up there in the rookie of the year balloting.

Jun 10, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A Toronto Blue Jays fan holds up a sign as she celebrates the Jays 7-2 win over Miiami Marlins at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

All win streaks are destined to end and with Hutchison, Dickey or Estrada there is a distinct chance it will end in Fenway Park. The question is which one of them is the one to end the streak? None of them. I will be bold and say the Jays have a real chance to make it an 11 game streak. They have to get by the ever improving Joe Kelly in Game 1 and if they do then it’s a definite sweep. If not they will certainly take the last two games of the series. All they need now is for the Yankees to somehow implode…