Blue Jays AL East Recap: Signs of Hope

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May 7, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Darwin Barney (18) celebrates with Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (19) after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The Blue Jays won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

New York Yankees: 20-9
Baltimore Orioles: 20-10
Boston Red Sox: 17-14
Tampa Bay Rays: 16-17
Toronto Blue Jays: 11-20

The Blue Jays once again played a week of .500 Baseball. Not tremendous, but much better than the first two weeks of the season. In fact, the Jays have played at this level since the disastrous start. More impressive, they have managed to do this without the likes of Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, J.A. Happ, and Aaron Sanchez. If the Blue Jays can keep this pace without them, they may be able to stab at contention in June and July when they are back. The Blue Jays have also received support form unlikely places.

Darwin Barney hit the game winning home run on Sunday afternoon, and has been an admirable part-time fill in. Ezequiel Carrera‘s hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, but won’t know until Monday if he has an in the park home run or the genuine thing. The Trop everyone. Joe Biagini, who blew a game against the Yankees earlier in the week, was excellent in his first MLB start. He’s expected to start again, as there is still not return time for Happ.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays appear to be getting back on track. If they can keep this pace up without the All Stars that are on the shelf, imagine what they can do once the cavalry returns.

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