Blue Jays AL East Recap: Looking for W’s in all the Wrong Places

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.

Baltimore Orioles: 8-3
New York Yankees: 8-4
Boston Red Sox: 7-5
Tampa Bay Rays: 6-7
Toronto Blue Jays: 2-10

The Blue Jays’ second week of Baseball was actually much worse than the first. They managed just one win, maintaining the world record in the MLB. The offense is no where to be seen and the bullpen is seeing signs of fatigue. Worst yet, the healthiest rotation of 2016 got hit by the injury bug early and hard. This week saw the Jays lose Josh Donaldson and Aaron Sanchez to the 10 Day DL. But the injury sustained to J.A. Happ is the most troubling. With very little in the way of long term Starting Depth, a lengthy absence from Happ will hurt.

There is hope, however. The offense is looking more like a sleeping giant than it was last week. Contributions from likely sources like Troy Tulowitzki and Kendrys Morales are nice, but seeing strides taken by Kevin Pillar is exciting. Before the double dose of inury, the rotation was performing among the best in the league. Our bullpen has looked excellent early on, with more success than most predicted.

Final Takeaway:

The powers that be just seem to be kicking the Jays when they are down. But after a sluggish start by the rest of the East, the Jays are only 6.5 games behind. They’ll need to turn it around fast, but there is still reason to believe.