Blue Jays AL East Recap: Jays continue to hang tough

Blue Jays Continue to Defy Odds

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.

Baltimore Orioles: 36-26
Boston Red Sox: 36-26
Toronto Blue Jays: 35-30
New York Yankees: 31-32
Tampa Bay Rays: 29-32

After dropping what would have been their sixth consecutive series win against the Tigers earlier in the week, the Blue Jays fought tooth and nail to win a four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Blue Jays are now flying five games over .500 and enter play on Monday only 2.5 games behind the division leaders. While the bullpen and starting rotation struggled against both Detroit and the mighty Baltimore offence, the Blue Jays responded with offence of their own. They outscored the Orioles 30-24, mashing 21 runs between Saturday and Sunday.

It was not all sunshine for the Jays though, the rotation was tested as both J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez got hammered by Baltimore. The bullpen, despite it’s struggles, was surprisingly resilient, holding the lead against a late rally all three games this weekend.

Jose Bautista has missed three straight games and is expected to return to the lineup today as the designated hitter. His return will be key to the lineup, especially since Troy Tulowitzki’s timeline is now in question after experiencing a setback in his recovery. The Jays will play a home/road split series against the Phillies before facing the Orioles in a rematch at Camden Yards this upcoming weekend.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays have managed to hang tough and win tough division contests. If they can secure wins against out of division opponents, the Jays could vie for the top spot in the East.

Next: Orioles hanging on to the top spot