Blue Jays and the full AL East Recap: Week 4

The Blue Jays had a down week as the AL East competition begins to take a clearer shape.

Each 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.

Boston Red Sox: 15-10
Baltimore Orioles: 14-10
Toronto Blue Jays: 12-14
Tampa Bay Rays: 11-13
New York Yankees: 8-15

The Blue Jays seem to have found their Achilles heel this week, as the bullpen woes became more pronounced and clear. Not only is Drew Storen struggling, but so is Brett Cecil, leaving the bullpen with only one dominant back-end reliever in Roberto Osuna. The starting rotation suffered at times, too, as RA Dickey continues to be a disappointment early on in the season and Marco Estrada‘s excellent game was dashed in the 7th inning on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, who rolled over the Blue Jays for a sweep.

That said, it is not all doom and gloom for the Blue Jays. They still have one of the best looking pitching staffs in the American League East and this week saw productivity from unlikely sources (or ones that have been quiet up to this point).

Troy Tulowitzki was the hero on Sunday night in Tampa Bay, padding a one run lead with a a three run homer in the ninth. Michael Saunders thrived in the leadoff spot this week, and hit a pair of home runs to go with it.

With an offence that is starting to wake up, and a starting rotation that has been a pleasant surprise, all eyes are on the bullpen. While handing the game over to the ‘pen led to defeat too often in April, the season is still young. This time last year Brett Cecil was being demoted from the closer’s gig, and yet he managed to become one of the most dominant relievers in baseball at the end of the season.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays should not be as concerned about if their bullpen will right the ship as to when it will. There is real talent in all seven arms, and if they can find that spark early on, the Jays can ride that to a winning record.

Next: Red Sox enjoying the view from the top

A dominant showing from their rotation has the Red Sox creeping into first place

Boston Red Sox 15-10

The Red Sox had a dominant showing this week, winning three of four games against the Braves and taking the series from the Yankees to end the week. Their offence has looked decent all season, but their starting rotation finally proved to be worth it’s salt this week.

While David Price still holds the title of staff ace, it’s Rick Porcello who has been the best looking pitcher in their rotation. He proved that this week by dominating both the Braves and the Yankees. With the success of the starting rotation combining with the power rotation, the Red Sox can win even low-scoring affairs.

That did not stop them from raking against the Braves, but also put a significant strain on an already damaged Yankees rotation. With production from the young and veteran players alike.

If the starting rotation can perform to the capacity they did all week, then they should have no problems taking first away from the Orioles.

Final Takeaway: 

The Red Sox finally looked like the team everyone was saying they’d be in December. Then again, they played the Braves four times this week. Let’s see if their rotation can hang tough in the AL East.

Next: Orioles fall out of top spot with offensive slip

Tampa Bay’s rotation heats up… as offence cools down

Tampa Bay Rays: 11-13

The Rays were an enigma the last three weeks. While their offence was consistent and dangerous, their rotation was not, which was the opposite of the team we saw in 2015.

This week, however, the Rays looked exactly like they did in 2015; Their pitching staff was very good but their offence couldn’t catch a break. This week saw a strong outing by Chris Archer, netting him his first win of the season, and featured a strong contest by Jake Odorizzi in Sunday’s loss.

That said the offence netted just 12 runs in 5 games, roughly 2 and a half runs per game. The Rays currently sit in last place league-wide in terms of scoring, also ranking dead last with a team batting average of .221.

In spite of that, their strong bullpen combined with a rejuvenated rotation took two of three from Baltimore before losing the series against the Blue Jays late on Sunday. If their rotation can keep it up, they might not need the best offence to take advantage of their opponents.

Final Takeaway:

The Rays flip flipped their advantage with their disadvantage by trading offensive production for rotation stability. Both will need to be stable for the Rays to break onto the scene.

Next: Last-place Yankees beginning to see flaws

Yankees offence silent as rotation underwhelms

New York Yankees:  8-15

Last week I had noted that the Yankees offence looked human, calling it a bad week for them. That stretched into this week as they have scored just 8 runs in their first four games of the week. Both veteran and rookie players alike have struggled at the plate.

While this has left a lot of questions about if and how their offence will rebuild it has also forced their biggest issue into light. Their starting rotation.

Next: Jays vs. Rangers: A rivalry renewed - Full Preview

With a productive offence, the Yankees rotation looks like a weak staff. With an under-performing offence, their staff looks like the worst. Their rotation was shelled this week, netting only a victory by Nathan Eovaldi (who vied for a no hitter) on Monday.

To further exasperate the point, their dominant ‘pen faced much adversity this week letting up 11 earned runs, including three off of dominant stopper Dellin Betances. With a rotation that can’t make it to the sixth inning on a frequent basis, it’s only a matter of time before a dominant relief staff cracks under the pressure.

Final Takeaway:

While all eyes are on offensive woes, the Yankees have to be concerned with an uninspiring rotation and a taxed bullpen.