Blue Jays AL East Recap: Blue Jays fighting for first

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

Toronto Blue Jays: 77-59
Boston Red Sox: 76-60
Baltimore Orioles: 73-62
New York Yankees: 70-65
Tampa Bay Rays: 58-77

The Toronto Blue Jays fought hard against division foes all week and narrowly made it out of the week with their lead in tact. The Blue Jays ended the week with a 3-3 record and one game ahead of the Red Sox for first.

Toronto dazzled to begin the week, taking two of three from the reeling Orioles. The weekend was much less favourable, as the Rays once again had the Blue Jays number. The Jays narrowly avoided the sweep on Sunday after being hammered on Friday and Saturday. This once again highlighted a troubling trend for the Blue Jays. Usually dominant starters Marco Estrada and J.A. Happ have struggled quite a bit recently, and those struggles were pronounced this week.

With very little breathing room they’ll hope they can get back on track against the upstart Yankees to start the week. The end of the week also features a critical series against Boston. The Blue Jays used their expanded roster to add Devon Travis (who was only gone for a day), Ryan Tepera, Danny Barnes, Dalton Pompey, Darrell Ceciliani, Aaron Loup,  and Matt Dermody. This provides the Blue Jays with a bevvy of relief pitchers to fill in the front end of the bullpen.

Additionally, Fransisco Liriano was moved to the bullpen, ending the Blue Jays 6-man rotation for the time being. This move firmly leaves Aaron Sanchez in the rotation, and should add much needed strength and consistency to the struggling bullpen. Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna recorded his 30th save of the season on Sunday, becoming the youngest player to do so.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays will need their pitching, both front end and back end, to keep the white hot Yankees and Red Sox honest. If the Blue Jays can get that, they could find success against some difficult foes.

Next: Red Sox hot on the trail in second place

Red Sox close the gap
Boston Red Sox: 76-60

The Red Sox were up to their normal tricks again, as their offence smashed their way to a 4-2 record. Boston won both series during the week, and sit one game outside of first.

Boston’s offence averaged almost eight runs a game through the course of the week. Boston saw some quality start, including a no-hit bid by Eduardo Rodriguez in last nights walk off loss to the Athletics. They get another easy contest coming up with three games against the Padres to start the week. The end of the week features that big A.L. East series against the Blue Jays. Early on in the season, the Red Sox outperformed the Baltimore Orioles in similar games.

The Red Sox added a catcher and two relievers to their expanded roster, alleviating needs in some of their key areas. Boston will also activate veteran reliever Koji Uehara from the disabled list. September call ups in addition to Uehara’s addition should help a rotation that has struggled recently.

Knuckleballer Steven Wright will once again miss a start, forcing on again, off again starter Clay Buchholz to fill in on Tuesday. Rick Porcello delivered another terrific outing, and picked up his Major League leading 19th win of the season. David Price continues to improve, further obscuring his weak start to the season.

Final Takeaway:

The Red Sox have fought hard to ensure the Blue Jays lead wasn’t to great. Now with that lead thinned, the Red Sox have a chance to strike and claim first once and for all.

Next: Orioles struggle, slipping slowly in the race

Yanks very much in WC picture
New York Yankees: 70-55

The Yankees saw success where it counted this week. New York maintained another .500 week, and dispatched some key Wild Card foes in the process.

Admittedly, the Yankees are a (very) long shot for the division title, trailing by 6.5 games. New York is only 3.5 games outside of the Wild Card, though, trailing only Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, and Houston. The Yankees will get another crack at the Blue Jays to start the week, and defeating the Jays blows the division race wide open. New York could further capitalize by beating the Rays during the weekend series.

Gary Sanchez made history, becoming the first ever catcher to pick up both AL Player and Rookie of the month honours. He enters play Monday with a 19-game on base streak. The Yankees added some valuable pitchers with the expanded rosters. One notable call up was Luis Severino, who struggled in the rotation early in the year.

Severino saw success in the bullpen during the weekend. Severino could once again make New York’s rotation as Chad Greene was diagnosed with a UCL Sprain. Another rotation injury adds some questions to the Yankees’ long term playoff viability, but they have the pieces to manage it.

Final Takeaway:

Despite being sellers, the Yankees are all in on the playoff hunt. The few weeks of play will see multiple division contests. If the Yankees can stay afloat among the division leaders, they could see the playoffs again.

Next: Those Pesky Rays, again and again

Rays continue to be pesky
Tampa Bay Rays: 58-77

The Rays once again continued to be the thorn in the AL East’s side. They prevented the Red Sox from sweeping and gaining a lead to start the week. Tampa then almost swept the Blue Jays, limiting their lead.

Despite not being in the playoff mix, Tampa Bay has managed to factor into the race quite heavily. While not ending up with the record they wanted at the beginning of the year, the Rays have owned the job of spoiler. Tampa Bay continued to have the Blue Jays’ number, narrowly losing out on handing them a serious blow in the recent series.

Alex Cobb was strong in his first start of the year and picked up his first win since 2014. Rays starters have looked very dominant the last month, an apparent return to last years form. Tampa Bay additionally added reinforcements to the bullpen and their Catching depth. The Rays figure to mix things up during the stretch run.

Next: Could Blue Jays pass on Michael Saunders?

They have a strong farm system and will be able to play around with rolls that could become vital for the Rays next year. This should help the Rays better determine their post season needs.