Blue Jays: How things look for the other Wild Card contenders

Blue Jays

Last but not least I thought I’d take a quick look at the same type of things we examined with the rest of the Wild Card contenders.

The Jays are hot right now, and have a chance to take three of four against the Angels with another win on Thursday night. That would keep their streak of series wins going after taking three of four against Boston and Cleveland, and sweeping the Royals to begin their first home stand in Canada in nearly two years.

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I’ve written about their schedule a few times lately, and for the most part it’s favourable for the rest of their 49 games. They have at least one game in hand against the rest of their Wild Card competition, and that could come in handy as they get closer to the end of the season. Ideally the Blue Jays will be able to take serious advantage of their lighter August schedule, just as they’ve done thus far, because things will get a little more difficult in September.

The good news is the Blue Jays will also be able to control their own destiny in a lot of ways. They have seven games left with the Yankees, six with the Rays, and three with Oakland. Those games will really matter when it comes to the Wild Card standings, but it also helps that they’ll still play the Orioles ten more times.

As for internal reinforcements, the biggest potential boost could come in the bullpen if they’re able to get Nate Pearson and/or Julian Merryweather into the mix. They’ll also look to get others like Tim Mayza, Joakim Soria, and Ross Stripling healthy down the stretch as well, but fortunately they have a lot more depth than they did a month ago.

There are a lot of variables at play when it comes to the Blue Jays’ chances of making the playoffs, but the more I look at what’s ahead for them and their competition, the more I like their chances.