Series Preview: Blue Jays Aim to Flatten the Phillies

Aug 14, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Bllue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) is greeted by teammates in the dugout after scoring against New York Yankees in the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sport

It has been a whirlwind few weeks in Blue Jays land. From the Tulowitzki trade to the (sort of) demotion of Drew Hutchison, there is always something to yap about. The streak was captivating and definitely revitalized the city in terms of support. The bandwagon is getting full and it’s fantastic. It’s a feeling this city needs and deserves after decades of mediocre big time sports teams.

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One difference from the past surges for the playoffs is the crowd is louder and more into the game. Back in the day, a lot of the sellouts were due to people who still hadn’t been to the wonderful state of the art stadium with the moving roof and huge tv scoreboard. The fans now have been there before and are thoroughly enjoying the play this time. Toronto fans appreciate the hard workers…the plumbers in hockey, the sixth man in basketball and the dirtbag in baseball (I’m talking about you Reed Johnson). This team is ready for all comers.

Next in line is the Philadelphia Phillies, who sit at the bottom of the NL East with a 46-72 record. Ben Revere will get a look at his old team, but you have to think he’ll enjoy the view. Now 1.0 game back of the New York Yankees and 11 games over .500, the Blue Jays have a prime opportunity to make their move.

Next: First stop: A look across the diamond

Aug 12, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

(43) delivers a pitch against Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1: R.A. Dickey (7-10, 3.96 ERA) vs Aaron Nola (3-1, 4.25 ERA)

Dickey has emerged as a legit number 2 or 3 in the Jays rotation. Since the all-star break he is 4-0 with an ERA of 1.79 in 6 starts. There were those who were worried at the beginning of the season (myself included) that the Blue Jays could not win with Dickey in the rotation. He had seemed to be slowly eroding from his 2012 Cy Young season and was almost a detriment to the team as a contender (April 0-3, 5.23 ERA and May 2-2, 6.27 ERA). Since that start to the season Dickey has been lights out. A floating knuckler being tossed to a lineup of up-and-comers spells trouble for the Phillies.

Nola has been a decent addition to the rotation for the Phillies. As the 7th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Nola has skyrocketed through the Phillies organization and firmly planted himself with the big club. There will be growing pains as he progresses but if he can do this well a year removed from Louisiana Sate then it surely spells trouble for the rest of MLB in the seasons to come. He was great in July but has regressed a little bit in August (5.06 ERA) so he may be ripe for the picking.

Next: Game 2 Preview: Buehrle on the bump

Aug 13, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

(56) delivers a pitch against Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2: Mark Buehrle (13-5, 3.31 ERA) vs Adam Morgan (3-4, 4.11 ERA)

He still has it. Buehrle keeps defying the simple logic that eventually, when you lose your stuff, you just become a mediocre pitcher playing out a few more years before retiring. If Buehrle ever decides to retire, he will do it standing tall on the mound and not wasting a roster spot for someone else. He throws soft (by MLB standards) but “location location” are not just the words of the mighty real estate gurus.

The man can pick his spots an his ERA is in a constant state of falling. He has given up 2 earned runs or less in every starts since the end of May. He has an outside shot at 20 wins. His WHIP is 1.18. He has given up  16 homers is 23 starts. I am duly impressed as is the rest of the baseball world.

Adam Morgan is another pitcher that is aiming to be in the Phillies rotation for years to come. A 3rd round pick in 2011, he hasn’t had the most outstanding track record in the minors, at least not one that spells out can’t-miss prospect (4.34 ERA in AAA) but here he is and he is holding his own. He started out great but has slid a bit in recent outings. He has 25 K in 44 1/3 innings and a WHIP so far of 1.40. If you believe in the peripheral stats like that then he is not putting his best pitch forward. Unless he tightens up his off-speed stuff and spots his fastball better then he may be fighting for that rotation spot very hard next spring training.

Aug 11, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55 rounds third base as he runs in to score against Oakland Athletics in the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Player to Watch

Much of this Blue Jays team is firing on all cylinders but one who isn’t is Russell Martin. He is playing his usual no-holds-barred defense but is that affecting his batting (4 for 37, .175 BA)? He is mired in a terrible slump for most of the month of August and you may see the Blue Jays giving more time to Dioner Navarro as the season wears on. When Martin was signed Navarro was upset and wanted to be traded. Alex Anthopoulos almost did…at least we know he tried valiantly, but his presence could now allow the Jays to rest their star when needed.

Could you imagine how this team would be without him? He is the safety net they didn’t know they really needed. Navarro may not be producing with the bat as he did last year but his ability to spell Martin more often than many thought he needed to has gone a long way towards keeping this team going forward rather than stalling on the mound. Martin needs to pick it up more as we get into the last month and a half.

Predictions

I predict it is going to be a long series if you are a Phillies fan. The Blue Jays have the tools to take apart this team and show them what a true contender looks like. The Phils will lose 100 games this year barring a miracle and at least two of those losses are going to come at the hands of the Blue Jays. Mini sweeeeeeeep!

Next: Blue Jays swagger and diversity gaining attention

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