Series Preview: Can the Blue Jays Tame the Tigers?

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Well that was kinda sucky. Those four games before the five home run outburst were character building. It allowed the pitching staff to experience life without 8 runs on the board. They handled it pretty well…heck they even won a game where they only had four hits…though I think the Matt Boyd experiment or possible showcasing has pretty much blown up in the face of the team (not even an out….ugh). Stepping stones folks. There is a long way to go still but this team seems to have the grit needed for long term seasonal success…sans Matt Boyd. If Jose Bautista  has finally broken out of his slump and Devon Travis keeps flashing his brilliant potential then at least we can club most teams to death…that’s asking a lot.

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The Tigers are getting by but are behind upstarts Kansas City and…Minnesota? Well if I had Byron Buxton and ummmm…those other guys I would think they would be in second place too. Will it last? Remains to be seen but if they do falter expect the Tigers to slip right in and take their rightful place fighting for top spot in the AL Central. They are hitting the crap out of the ball (1st in AL with a .275 BA) but their usually stellar pitching staff is 14th in ERA. David Price is doing well as usual but the next best starter has been Alfredo Simon and his ERA is almost 4. Justin Verlander is attempting to come back from injury to bolster the rotation but will that be enough? With Kyle Lobstein and Shane Greene are getting the ball every fifth day then you pretty much are just treading water. Be sure they are scouring the trade market to upgrade their rotation and maybe add some bullpen depth.

Next: Game 1: HutchShow vs Sanchez

Jun 28, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN;Toronto Blue Jays opening pitcher Drew Hutchison (36) pitches against Texas rangers in the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: Drew Hutchison (8-1, 4.99 ERA) vs Anibal Sanchez (6-7, 4.63 ERA)

Hutch is the luckiest man in baseball. He has the best winning percentage of any starter in baseball and he truly doesn’t deserve it. He has been all over the place. His WHIP is 1.42 and his BAA against is up to .280. He has not taken a step forward and if he continues this trend he may not be a lock for the rotation next season…especially if some of the other kids start knocking on the MLB door.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays /

Toronto Blue Jays

He may even be part of a trade package for an elite starter (like Cole Hamels). I know, I know we don’t have the depth to be giving pitchers away but what are we really giving away? He has an ERA of almost 9 on the road. Addition by subtraction.

Anibal Sanchez has been a perfect number 3. Eating a ton of innings, striking out batters and keeping his WHIP better than average (1.18). He doesn’t have the stuff to be anything more than a three and that’s fine. He is what the Blue Jays wish Drew Hutchison was. Keep the team in the game. Save the bullpen. Win more often than not. If there is a problem the Blue Jays can exploit it’s his rather brutal ERA with runners in scoring position (17.26). He has given up 18 home runs so far this season as well. this has the makings of a good ol’ fashioned barn burner.

Next: Game 2: Dickey vs Price

Jun 29, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) delivers a pitch against Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: R.A. Dickey (3-8, 4.35 ERA) vs David Price (7-2, 2.62 ERA)

R.A. is one of the more unlucky guys in baseball. His winning percentage is brutal but he has gotten better and better as the season moves forward, He will basically end up what he is: a .500 pitcher with a respectable ERA and wisdom to share with the rest of the team. He, like Hutch, is a great number 3…sound familiar?

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The Blue Jays have no true ace so the rotation is relying on guile. Dickey has pitched into the 5th inning at least in every start this season. Pair that with the light tossing Mark Buehrle and the bullpen should have enough rest throughout the season to be able to absorb games like the last one against the Red Sox (ooooh Matt Boyd).

David Price has continued to be one the premier lefties in all of baseball. He is holding the rotation together and is as close to a stopper starter as there is…that is a pitcher who always wins and puts an end to getting any extended losing streak. In his last 7 games he is 4-1 with a paltry 1.79 ERA, 46 Ks in 50.1 innings and a WHIP of 1.01. Can’t do much better than that. Expect Price to be a serious contender for the All-Star Game in Cincinnati this summer.

Next: Game 3: Estrada vs Verlander

Jun 30, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marco Estrada (25) delivers a pitch against Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3: Marco Estrada (5-4, 3.58 ERA) vs Justin Verlander (0-1, 5.09 ERA)

Marco Estrada is certainly enjoying a coming of age type of season. There were many groans and grumbles when he was slipped into the rotation. He got a little thump in his last start but his stats tell the story of a guy who is just able to get hitters out. In general the opposition is hitting just .210 off of him and his WHIP is 1.15.  His percentage of pitches that are strikes is 65%.

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He knows how to keep the ball around the plate and his ability to give up too many home runs is doing much better this year (10 in 75 innings pitched). If he continues to shine, we’ll have three sort of soft tossers in the rotation which goes against the norm…but only because of necessity, not choice.

Verlander is slowly coming along after coming off the injured list 3 starts ago. His ERA is above 5 and he has walked more than he has struck out.  He is having trouble keeping his pitch counts low in each inning so far but has tossed at least 5 innings in all three starts so far. Is he going to be the ace that he has been in the last few years? It’s tough to tell but all signs point to a regression so that leaves the Tigers without a bona fide number 1. You think they want Max Scherzer back? Yeah I thought so…

Next: Players to Watch This Series

Jun 26, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar (11) makes a diving catch on a line drive by Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (not pictured) in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Players to Watch

Well when it comes to the beloved Blue Jays the rise of Kevin Pillar bears notice.  

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Sure Jose Bautista is leading the league now in RBI and Josh Donaldson seems to do something awesome, offensively or defensively, every game but Pillar has proven so many people wrong that I have to give him props. His batting average is now up to .285 and, like Donaldson, he delivers something pretty much every game that helps the team win.

Stealing 2nd and 3rd in one inning, diving and catching every ball hit to him in another. He has become one of those glue guys. In June he hit .365 with 4 HR and an OPS of .911. His peripherals aren’t hardcore overall but across the board he makes sure the bottom of the order isn’t a giveaway every night.

Next: Predictions

Jul 2, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar (11) and Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis (29) celebrate scoring runs with Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) during the second inning in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

The Blue Jays 3.17 team ERA in June was second best in the AL. and they drove in the most runs in June of any AL team (151).

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There was a definite offensive blip during the Red Sox Series (save for Canada Day) and if it wasn’t hitting enough it was not getting the hit and leaving a ton of men on base.

Over the course of  season it will even out but for now we are finally getting the pitching. Hopefully the offense comes around and takes advantage of it. Comerica isn’t a home run hitters paradise so it will be more about manufacturing runs and hitting it where they ain’t. I say they take advantage of a struggling Tigers  pitching staff (especially Verlander) and take 2 of 3 in the series.

Next: Matt Boyd Optioned, Todd Redmond DFA'd

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