Blue Jays AL East Recap: Highs and Lows

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: 15-8

New York Yankees: 15-8

Boston Red Sox: 13-11

Tampa Bay Rays: 12-14

Toronto Blue Jays: 8-17

The Blue Jays faced some highs and lows and left April with plenty of questions. The Jays started the week by failing to secure a series win against the Angels. They then won game one against the Cardinals before things went sour. The Blue Jays would lose a double header to St Louis, and the first to Tampa Bay in large part to their bullpen. Toronto’s pen let up 13 runs during that period of time and squandered brilliant starts from Mat Latos and Marcus Stroman.

The Blue Jays turned it around during the weekend though. Francisco Liriano went strong through 5 innings followed by 4 shut down innings by the pen. After Aaron Sanchez‘ short debut, the bullpen managed to work 8 innings of just 4 hits and 1 run. Late offense by Russell Martin and Jose Bautista’s 1000th hit as a Jay, secured the win. The win was the first consecutive and series win for the Jays this season.

Roberto Osuna initially struggled to start the week, but secured back to back saves during the weekend. During those days he pitched 2 clean innings letting up just a hit with a pair of strikeouts. Aaron Sanchez is possibly headed back to the DL, after just one inning back. With an off day coming up, and the hopeful return of J.A. Happ. It’s possible the Blue Jays run with a 4 man rotation for the time being. Mat Latos appears to be the clear choice of spot starts after two admirable performances.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays biggest weakness turned into their biggest asset this week. Toronto will need to see more of this bounce back resilience if they are to make it back to .500. Jays fans can, however, finally say the Blue Jays are not the worst team in Baseball.

Baltimore- Battling Battles for First

15-8

The Orioles struggled on the final week of April. Despite taking the week opener from Tampa Bay, they ran into troubles during the weekend. It was a wild weekend in New York. The Orioles not only lost the series, but are no longer in sole possession of first. The series saw the Orioles outscored 30-22, but the Orioles seemed evenly matched with the Yankees. Two of the three games went into extra’s. The first game the Orioles even led by 9-1, before Kevin Gausman and the bullpen let the team down. Short outings from the rotation forced the O’s bullpen to work extra hard to finish the week.

The pitching woes should be quickly addressed for Baltimore. Chris Tillman is nearing recovery and will slot in as the number one starter. Zach Britton too will add much needed relief for the bullpen. Reliever Brad Brach has been more than competent as closer (5 Saves, 1.93 ERA), despite blowing a save Friday Night. The Orioles will get no chance for rest as they play the Red Sox to start the week.

Final Takeaway:

The Orioles blinked first, with the Yankees at the door, and the Red Sox right behind them. They’ll need a strong opening against the Red Sox to widen the gap at the top.

Red Sox VS Cubs: WS Preview?

13-11

A Red Sox-Cubs World Series was long predicted during the off season. Baseball fans had a chance to taste this epic matchup. The Red Sox ultimately proved to be the winners of the contest. They and the Cubs end April with even record of 13-11. Both face different fortunes though. The Cubs are fighting to keep the lead in a surprisingly tough NL Central. The Red Sox are seeking the throne, and sit 2.5 games out of first. The Red Sox will need to find some more consistency to get them to the top.

The weekend victory overshadowed a dismal series against the Yankees. The Red Sox offense was shackled by New York’s rotation. On the week they averaged less than 5 runs a game. While that is nothing to scoff at, it is far from the capabilities of the team. The Red Sox squandered an excellent start from both Rick Porcello and Chris Sale, allowing the Yankees to gain significant ground. The weekend series win was a nice bounce back, but the damage had already been done.

Final Takeaway:

The Red Sox may have dazzled the world this weekend, but staggered to start the week. The Red Sox will get the chance to fight back, as they open the week against the Baltimore Orioles.

Tampa Bay Rays Stagnate

12-14

The injury riddled Rays saw few successes this week. Losing both to the Orioles and the Blue Jays. The Rays dealt with the inconsistencies that plagued them all last season. If their offense was on, their rotation was off. This weekend their offense was hushed behind strong performances from the staff. The Rays will get good news this week, Jake Odorizzi is slated to pitch Monday night against the Miami Marlins. Odorizzi was on the DL most of April.

The Rays’ biggest problems were in their bullpen. Their ‘pen is already ravaged by injuries and weak outings by the remaining staff cost the Jays some close one. Closer Alex Colome suffered his first two losses of the year this week. Being the strongest member of the bullpen, that is not a good sign for the Rays. With Odorizzi coming back, Erasmo Ramirez will slot back into the bullpen, but that may be to little to late.

Final Takeaway:

The Rays missed out on some successful showings by both Offense and Defense. A decimated bullpen coughed up a few runs, and ultimately set the Rays 2 games under .500. With so many injured, they’ll need to be stronger or risk fading out.

Next: Jose Bautista collects his 1000th hit as a Blue Jay