Series Preview: Blue Jays Keep Clubbin’…Orioles are Next

When the Blue Jays of yesteryear rode an 11 game win streak at some point in the season, they inevitably tanked and were out of playoff contention by the time September rolled around. When this year’s version lost both the games in New York against an improved Mets team I was wondering if the same fate would be rekindled and would be the beginning of another retched free fall. Weeeeeeell after taking both games from the Mets in Toronto I would say without restraint that this year’s team is built to withstand huge losing streaks and months of terrible baseball.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day
• Blue Jays win important first game after Bichette’s late inning heroics

Do not for a moment think that this has nothing to do with Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin. They are two of the elder statesmen in the locker room and their experience and drive to succeed seems to be rubbing off on the rest of the team. We have some feeble-ish bats with Ryan Goins and Kevin Pillar…well we used to anyway. The team would be able to withstand that both those players will never really hit much because of their sparkling defense but those little buggers keep coming up with big hits here and there that soften the blow when the beginning or middle of the lineup is having an off night. It is guys like this that great teams are made of. 1 through 9 baby. Give it up for the Blue Jays 1-9.

Jun 14, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher

(25) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Mike Wright (2-2, 4.13 ERA) vs Marco Estrada (4-3, 4.24 ERA)

I guess with all that is happening surrounding the Blue Jays ballpark little things like Mike Wright fall through the cracks. I am sure the most astute listener or reader of JaysJournal.com would know who this guy is: In May he had three starts totaling 19 innings  and he gave up just 3 earned runs. Impressive. Not impressive? 2 June starts giving up 10 runs in only 9 combined innings. So which Wright are the Blue Jays going to see? It might not matter the way the offense is going buuuut the Jays sometimes have a propensity to lay an egg against rookie pitchers they haven’t seen so tread lightly on this one.

Marco Estrada is getting things done. He has pitched ok in the  Daniel Norris‘ spot in the rotation…well save for his last start which was well below average as he gave up five earned in five innings…getting the win thanks to the bats. I am sure those words have been used before for some of our starters and it won’t be the last time I am sure especially with guys like Estrada and Scott Copeland occupying  the back-end of the rotation. With a 14.21 ERA with runners in scoring position it is easy to see where Estrada is lacking. The difference between average and above average is little things like that. So here we sit with average Marco.

Jun 16, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

(28) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Chris Tillman (5-7, 5.58 ERA) vs Scott Copeland (1-1, 2.57 ERA)

Chris Tillman seemed destined to be a front of the rotation guy. In 2012 to 2014 he was the best pitcher on a rotation that was morphing over and over again. He was the rock. The one guy that good ol’ Buck Showalter could rely on. In 2014 he was the leader of a decent staff but because the Orioles were winning it didn’t seem so important. This season it is really starting to show. He has regressed to the tune of an ERA slowly moving towards 6. In 2012 to 2014 he gave up less than a hit an inning. In 2015 he is giving up more than a hit per inning and his WHIP is at a pretty rotten 1.55. With the offense of the Jays they should be able to beat him down pretty good…unless he starts to turn things around it is going to be one of those seasons that will help the Blue Jays in the long run as they compete for a division crown.

Scott Copeland is still a mystery really. I know he had a stellar start to the season in AAA Buffalo and his first start was pretty awesome. His second start….weeeeeell it was a bit of a wreck (couple hits an inning and all around a blaise effort). Remember this isn’t a 22-year-old upstart…this is a 27-year-old who finally cracked the AA ceiling and got himself to the majors. If he was a real threat he would have been in the majors a couple of years ago. He is a depth arm and that depth is definitely being tested since the big three kids are all not in the current rotation. If Copeland has truly caught lightning in a bottle then this game should be decided already.

Jun 17, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher

(50) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Player to Watch

With a shout out to Ryan Goins (.320/.393/.560 in his last seven games) there is a more pressing matter. Right now it seems the closer situation is still not a lock. We keep hearing more and more than Jonathan Papelbon will be in Blue Jays blue sometime in the next month or so. That’s swell. Until then it may be up to a resurgent Steve Delabar to close things out since Brett Cecil just doesn’t seem to have the guile to be the closer. Let Delabar give it a show. Couldn’t be worse than right now could it?

Prediction

Can the offense truly keep up this pace for the entire season? They have scored 71(!) more runs than the next highest scoring team…the Athletics (?). I think they can. They are giving it 1-9 right now and seem to be on a crazy roll that a sweep in Toronto is not out of left field crazy. It would only be a five game winning streak and they happen all the time. So until Estrada and Copeland truly just blow up and blow up good, the Jays will keep on winning. Sweeeeep!