Blue Jays receive begrudging high praise from Hall of Fame enemy

During his playing career, Pedro Martinez absolutely dominated the Blue Jays. His record of 9-4 in 20 career starts doesn't even begin to tell the story. He had a 2.98 ERA in 139 innings pitched and 159 strikeouts with just 30 walks. He allowed 46 earned runs, with 13 home runs allowed. He kept hitters to a .225 batting average, a .279 OBP and .356 SLG.

Now working as an analyst for for MLB on TBS and MLB Network, the former Red Sox ace has heaped some praise among his old teams rivals as the playoff race for the AL East starts to really heat up. During a recent studio show, Martinez was asked about the Red Sox chances, and he begrudgingly suggested that his old team might not have what it takes to take down the Blue Jays.

He brought up the Blue Jays ability to play well against strong teams with a 37-28 record against teams over .500. Martinez said, "The consistency they’ve shown all year, specially when playing strong teams, tells me the Toronto Blue Jays are for real!" Strong words that won't sit to kindly with fans of the Red Sox.

If it's any consolation he did add that this years team reminds him of some of his old Boston teams. He said, "That brings back memories of some of the teams I saw in Boston. From last to first, from first to last. And some of those teams have the talent. It’s just that they never seem to be in sync. But this time is the only time I’ve seen the Toronto Blue Jays play together for such a long time — consistent baseball — and also in sync.”

Martinez says a lot of that synchronicity has to do with the Blue Jays extending Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Martinez says ever since they signed him to a franchise record contract extension, the team has figured out it's identity. Martinez, who played with Vladimir Guerrero Sr. in Montreal, says the younger Guerrero deserves to be the face of the franchise.

Entering Thursday's action, the Blue Jays remain 4.5 games up on the Red Sox in the AL East.