Blue Jays and the AL East Recap: Week two

Week two of the regular season has wound down as the Blue Jays continued to figure out their AL East competeition

Every week Jays Journal will take a look at the bigger picture of the AL East to help frame not only where the Blue Jays are in the standings, but why they are there.

BAL  8-3
BOS  6-5
TOR  6-7
NYY  5-6
TB   5-7

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were strictly a .500 team this week, winning the series against New York, and at best tying the Red Sox in Boston. The bullpen looked weak again, but the Jays offence was surprisingly the weak link this week. Kevin Pillar was removed from the leadoff job as his .231 average and his dismal strikeout-to-walk ratio wasn’t enough to cut it. However this is not his fault alone, the team as a whole has been striking out at a much greater rate than last year.

That is not to say there were not any positives. Josh Donaldson continues to rake and be the offensive force for the team, as Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion both seem to be in peak form at the onset of the season.

The Blue Jays got another strong start from both J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez, which should quell many questions about the validity of the back end of the rotation. The bullpen continued to struggle with both Brett Cecil and Drew Storen underperforming. Fortunately Roberto Osuna‘s hiccup didn’t cost the Jays another win on Sunday night.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays will be looking to refine their offence and hopefully find more patience along the wat, but that seems like a problem that will be solved in a matter of time. The biggest spring question of the validity of the starting rotation, however, has been addressed in a positive manner.

Next: Rebounding Rays getting back on track?

Rays See Improvement

Tampa Bay Rays: 5-7

Tampa Bay saw improvement in their pitching this week, as their starting rotation took a step towards returning to last year’s dominant form. While Chris Archer continued to struggle, the staff behind him looked especially crisp.

The Rays played exclusively outside of the division this week and lost a series to the Cleveland Indians before bouncing back to win their series against the White Sox.

Tampa Bay got two wins from their starting rotation this week, and a fine performance by Jake Odorizzi which helped give them a .500 week. Given the consistency the new offence has given them, the Rays could quickly emerge as a contender within the division, but for that to happen they would need to see more success from their starters.

And while the offense has been consistent for them so far, most of their games have ended in low-scoring affairs.

Final Takeaway:

The Rays rotation looked better this week, but they’ll need ace Chris Archer to find his form if they hope to keep pace with the parity rich AL East.

Next: Red Sox Strike Again

Red Sox Continue to Plague the Jays

Boston Red Sox: 6-5

The Boston Red Sox continued to surge against the Blue Jays this week. Winning two against them in Boston to push them above .500 for the week.

In addition to once again having the Jays’ number, the Red Sox handed the Orioles their first loss of the season.  This spoiled a potential sweep, and Baltimore’s undefeated run.

The Red Sox once again had the bats this week, and this time their offence was backed by dominant starts from David Price and Rick Porcello, finally helping to to address the early concerns about their starting rotation.

The bullpen continued it’s dominance, and despite a hiccup from Craig Kimbrel early in the week, has looked like one of the most dominant relief staffs in baseball.

Final Takeaway:

Someone had to stop the Orioles, so the Red Sox did. Out of the gate they look like a strong contender if their offense can keep it up.

Next: Blues in the Bronx

Orioles Keep Singing

Baltimore Orioles: 8-3

The Orioles continued to mash the ball this week, situating themselves as one of baseballs best offenses right out of the gate. Seeing production up and down the line from Chris Davis to Mark Trumbo has helped put them into the driver’s seat on the American League East.

Their bats fought off a loss Monday and Tuesday before the Red Sox finally subdued them on Wednesday. Once out of the division though, the Orioles went on to lose a pair to the Rangers in Texas.

The Baltimore offense is firing on all cylinders. They scored 40 runs in 6 games last week before being rained out on Monday.

This type of production is insane. So despite being handed a pair of losses in Texas, this has not cooled Baltimore’s bats. Their pitching rotation was once again better than originally anticipated, but benefited highly from their gaudy offensive numbers.

More blue jays: Join the discussion: Saunders in, Pillar out at leadoff

Final Takeaway:

Though not immortal, the Orioles continue to crush the ball and continue to look like the real deal at the onset of the season.