5 Reasons the Blue Jays Shouldn’t Fear the Rangers

Sep 28, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Ryan Goins (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Toronto Blue Jays defeated Baltimore Orioles 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

162 games have passed and the celebration has ended. Now the Blue Jays look to take on the Rangers in the upcoming American League Division Series. The Rangers have been torrid since the start of August, pushing themselves from mediocrity to the American League West Pennant.

Toronto Blue Jays

Their lineup is potent and has benefitted from the resurgence of their core team of players, offense that was missing in the first half of the season. Their pitching too was bolstered with the addition of Cole Hamels at the deadline and the return of Derek Holland. All of this helped in shaping them into the formidable team that we will face on Thursday.

Spencer Redmond had a great article showcasing 5 things to fear about the powerful upstarts in the West. While all of his points are very true, we here at Jays Journal would be remiss if we didn’t try to showcase the things we really don’t need to worry about. After all our Toronto Blue Jays was the only team to post a record better than the Rangers in the second half of the season. With that said let’s dive right into the 5 reasons the Blue Jays don’t need to be afraid of the Rangers with the thing that has changed both teams the most in the second half.

Next: The Pitching