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The American League's schedule may be beneficial to the Blue Jays during the final stretch

The Blue Jays have a tough schedule ahead, but a scheduling quirk for the rest of the AL may work in their favor.
ByBryan Jaeger|
The Blue Jays find themselves in a favorable spot despite their difficult schedule remaining
The Blue Jays find themselves in a favorable spot despite their difficult schedule remaining | Megan Briggs/GettyImages

With a month left in the season, the Toronto Blue Jays lead both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the AL title race. They face the sixth-strongest remaining schedule with series' against the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals.

The Red Sox and Yankees have the 11th and fourth-easiest remaining schedules. Due to a scheduling quirk, they just completed a three-game series against each other and will play again from September 12 to 14 in New York. The Blue Jays hope for a 2-1 split, as neither team would gain much ground. That same weekend, the Blue Jays host the Baltimore Orioles. The Blue Jays will also hope to use their series against these two to further extend their division lead.

The American League's schedule may be beneficial to the Blue Jays during the final stretch

Since July 31, the Blue Jays are 12-9 going into their series against the Minnesota Twins and they will face-off against against postseason contenders four more times: the Brewers, the Reds, the Yankees, and the Astros. Over the last 30 days, their pitching staff has been ranked 23rd in ERA (4.83), with their bullpen struggling. Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher, Yariel Rodríguez, Seranthony Domínguez, and Louis Varland have all struggled in August.

On the other hand, the offense has been stellar during this span. They rank second in OPS (.819), third in runs (143), and third in home runs (42). The strong month has been propelled by strong showings from superstars Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, and George Springer; however, the success wouldn't be as great without the lesser-known players, like Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, Ernie Clement, Ty France, and Joey Loperfido.

With an AL East title fight ahead, having Guerrero Jr. return after his August 18 hamstring injury is a boost. Shane Bieber's return from Tommy John surgery is also key; he threw six strong innings with nine strikeouts against the Marlins on Friday, allowing just one run. Both players must stay healthy to keep the World Series dream alive.

It's going to be a stressful month for Blue Jays fans, but if the players can stay healthy, then they should be able to finish the last month strong and close out this division title race at the top.