Two months ago the Toronto Blue Jays were a .500 ball club a few games out of a wild-card spot in the American League and a few more out of the division.
How things have changed.
The Blue Jays clinched the AL East title Wednesday with a 15-2 win over Baltimore in the first game of a doubleheader after Tuesday's game was rained out, officially pushing the New York Yankees off to the AL wild-card game. The final score is absolutely representative of just how well Toronto's been playing lately. The Jays scored two in the second, two in the fourth, four in the fifth, two in the seventh and five in the ninth. Shortstop Ryan Goins had five hits while Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Justin Smoak each picked up home runs.
Price in particular has been terrific. The 30-year-old left-hander has gone 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts with the Jays, putting himself in a great position to be named the AL Cy Young.
Over the first four months of the 2015 season, it was obvious that the Blue Jays were a talented team. High-profile offseason pick-ups Josh Donaldson, the front-runner for the AL MVP award, and Russell Martin produced at an All-Star level immediately. Bautista and Encarnacion, longtime Blue Jays players, were still two of the best middle-of-the-order bats in baseball.
But still, their mediocre record belied their magnificent run differential. And then suddenly, it all came together. As starting pitchers R.A. Dickey and Marco Estrada started to settle in, the pitching began to catch up to the dominant offense, and all their opponents could do was hope for an off day. Even the bullpen, once seen as a significant weakness, turned it around, anchored by 20-year-old closer Roberto Osuna.
Bolstered by the trade deadline acquisitions of All-Stars David Price and Troy Tulowitzki, as well as outfielder Ben Revere and relievers Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins, the Blue Jays have become the most dangerous team in the league. Since July 29, Toronto's record is a blistering 42-14.
Price in particular has been terrific. The 30-year-old left-hander has gone 9-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 starts with the Jays, putting himself in a great position to be named the AL Cy Young.
They've also had some unexpected contributions down the stretch. Marcus Stroman, who earned the win in the clincher, completed an improbable six-month comeback from a torn ACL he suffered in spring training. The initial prognosis was that Stroman would be sidelined for the season. Now, the dynamic 24-year-old right-hander looks set to follow Price in the postseason rotation. That's quite the 1-2 punch.
The Blue Jays are also in line to beat out Kansas City for the best regular season record in the AL and thus secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
For a franchise that hadn't reached the postseason since 1993 – let alone won a division crown – all the fan base yearned for was meaningful September games.
These Blue Jays have far exceeded those expectations. Led by Donaldson, Bautista and Price, they will make their much-anticipated return to the October stage very much looking like the World Series favorite.
No comments:
Post a Comment