Blue Jays: The gravity of the upcoming series against the Detroit Tigers

Following a disappointing three-game set in Boston that saw the boys in blue get swept in embarrassing fashion, the Jays will head to Detroit to take on the lowly Tigers.

To put it bluntly, every series from here on in is extremely important for the Toronto Blue Jays. With every losing series, the demand to sell gets louder and louder, especially following the devastating blow that was the most recent series in Boston.

At the time of this writing, the Blue Jays sit 13 games back of the division lead, and 8.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot. If this team is going to make a run for a playoff spot, it’s going to have to start soon.

Enter the Detroit Tigers, who, despite their 24-30 record (.444 PCT) on the season, are in second, yes, second place in the wasteland that is the 2018 American League Central. Ridiculous divisional dynamics aside, the Tigers seem like the perfect prey for a struggling team who really wants to do better.

The Blue Jays will head to Comerica Park and face Blaine Hardy (1-0, 2.70 ERA) and two undecided starting pitchers. The Tigers have been struggling to put runs on the board, as evidenced by the fact that their team leader in RBI has just 28.

The main point here is that the Tigers are a rebuilding squad, at least I think they are.

While the state of the Motor City baseball team is messy at best, it’s undeniable that they’re going to have to make a change soon to set themselves on a path to eventual success.

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Regardless, the team isn’t good. Their offense is largely one-sided, their defense is mediocre and their starting pitching has been virtually unnoticeable. This year is a lost cause for the Tigers, which is great for the Jays right now.

If they’re going to get back into this, it’s going to have to start with a string of wins against less-than-stellar opponents. It’s unreasonable to ask a struggling team to put up a decent fight against the league-leading Boston Red Sox, but it’s certainly attainable to ask that they take the series against the Tigers.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re for or against the prospect (no pun intended) of selling off assets at the trade deadline, this series is a pivotal one for these Toronto Blue Jays. Following this set, they will either be on a path to continued progress or be turned around in the other direction and headed for disaster.

My personal hope is that the Jays either sweep the series or get swept, because being in baseball purgatory is a difficult and complex situation to be in, especially given the intricacies of this team’s minor league system. An absolute outcome will send a message to the front office that something either does or doesn’t have to be done.

Either way, a sale might be coming, and this series against the Tigers could decide quite a bit in the way of how soon that sale comes, or just how destructive it will be.

Next: Blue Jays: Russell Martin’s Adventure in the Outfield