Blue Jays AL East Recap: Jays Still Can’t Land at .500

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: 37-23
Boston Red Sox 34-28
Tampa Bay Rays: 34-32
Baltimore Orioles: 31-30
Toronto Blue Jays: 31-32

The Blue Jays didn’t fare as well as hoped on their week-long road trip. They ended the week 3-3 Losing the series to the Athletics before stopping the Mariners this weekend. On the season, they are still one game below .500. The same position they stood this time last week. Toronto now sits 7.5 back of the Yankees for first, but remain within 2 games of a Wild Card spot. Josh Donaldson put up a show this week. Seemingly determined to erase his month-long absence from the record books. Strong starts from Marcus Stroman and J.A. Happ helped stop a strong Seattle this weekend. A strong bullpen also helped keep the Blue Jays in many games. Roberto Osuna has erased any doubts from his early season woes.

The likes of Ryan Tepera and Aaron Loup have also been surprisingly strong. They, combined with Joe Smith and Danny Barnes, have formed a solid rotation core that the Blue Jays haven’t seen in years. The Blue Jays have been silent on what ails Russell Martin. Martin was in and out of the lineup all week. Devon Travis is on the DL, and all indication points to him being there for a while. Ryan Goins has performed admirably so far, but can’t replace the production of Travis. Both Goins and Carrera have performed well, but don’t profile as everyday players. The Blue Jays could look to add at both positions if they intend to keep chasing contention. Toronto has an abbreviated week, playing the Rays and White Sox at home.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays are still fighting for a winning record. They are approaching a do or die stretch in the coming weeks, making every game a must win.

Yankees Dominate the East
37-23

New York kicked things into gear. After losing to the Red Sox to start the week, they wouldn’t do so again. They now have a tidy 4 game lead over the Boston for first place. After lighting up Rick Porcello and David Price, they would dismantle the Orioles. New York’s offense combined for 38 runs across the three game set, only letting up 8. Aaron Judge continues to be a force to be reckoned and leading the charge offensively. Judge still leads MLB with 21 home runs and has now blasted the longest one of the season. For good measure. Starlin Castro and Gary Sanchez also jumped on the Orioles this weekend.

The Yankees rotation has been effective, supporting the team long enough for the vaunted offense to put the game out of reach. The bullpen has been effective too, but that’s easy to do with the run differential they get to work with. After a disappointing week last week, strong showings against two of the top dogs of the East has established New York as the legitimate leader of the AL East. Likely putting the title out of reach for those ones at the bottom. The Yankees will get to terrify the pitchers of the West, as they play the Athletics and Angels this week.

Final Takeaway:

The Yankees have been a fun team to watch and will continue to be if their young stars put up gaudy numbers like they did this week. Lately, New York is looking like the 2016 Cubs 2.0

Boston Misses Big Chance
34-28

The Boston Red Sox remain second in the division, after dropping the opening set to the Yankees. They managed to edge out Masahiro Tanaka to start the week, but New York shelled Porcello and Price to end the series. The Red Sox now sit 4 games out of first but remain the top dog overall in the Wild Card race. Boston has been getting production up and down the lineup offensively. Chris Sale has been unrelenting on opposing batters and has been pulling most of the weight in the rotation. Drew Pomeranz remains hit and miss, and Rick Porcello has looked nothing like the 2016 version. David Price will likely help the rotation stabilize, but did not do so this week.

Team Captain Dustin Pedroia is finally off the DL, while Eduardo Rodriguez is progressing as projected. Pablo Sandoval has been sitting out, trying to avoid a stint to on the list as well. The Red Sox will get another test this week. After an Away and Home stint against the Phillies to start the week, they will play the titans of the West. The Astros have looked as strong as the Yankees this year and could be a challenge even for Sale.

Final Takeaway:

The Red Sox have finally taken full form. They’ll need some more success from their rotation to help keep pace with their excellent offense. If they can, they can contend with the Yankees at the top.

Rays find Success on Field, Woes Off Field
34-32

Tampa Bay jumped in the standings after a strong week. They beat the Detroit Tigers to start the week, before winning 3 of 4 from Oakland. While the Blue Jays couldn’t put it together against the Athletics, the Rays found few problems against them. For their effort, the Rays now sit 3rd in the division, and 6 games back of first. More importantly, they only sit 2 games behind the Second Place Red Sox. The Rays young rotation has looked sharp, as Chris Archer remains a force to be reckoned with. Their offense has been excellent as well, including Evan Longoria’s 250th Home Run. The Rays have been firing on all cylinders, and look like they have a real chance at contending.

Next: Is Brett Lawrie an Option?

There were a number of negatives to mire the positives this week. Despite their on-field success, the health of their players has continued to be a problem. Despite many players returning from earlier injuries, more have been taking their place. This week was quite the blow for them. Gold Glove Center Fielder Kevin Kiermaier will be out for at least two months. Joining him will be Short Stop Brad Miller and Matt Andriese. Andriese managed just one inning in his first stint off the DL before landing right back on it. How they continue to weather this roller coaster will be key to remaining successful this season.