12h ago
Nothing stopping Jays from making deep postseason run
As it stands now, a case can be made that the Blue Jays are the best team in the American League. When you look at the situations of the other top contenders, it doesn’t seem like an overly bold statement. TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips has more.
The Blue Jays have the best record (71 - 51) in the American League and a five-game lead in the AL East. If they keep playing the way they are capable, they should win the division and secure a bye in the wild card round as one of the top two teams.
As it stands now, a case can be made that the Jays are the best team in the American League. When you look at the situations of the other top contenders, it doesn’t seem like an overly bold statement.
The Detroit Tigers have led the AL in wins for most of the season. They were 59-34 on July 7 but are just 11-18 since then. The Tigers will still likely win the AL Central, but their lead has been cut from 14 games to six. The starting pitching beyond former Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal is a bit thin. Their bullpen lacks the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that tends to work best in the postseason.
The Seattle Mariners made big moves at the trade deadline and in my opinion may be the Jays’ toughest matchup among the playoff contenders. The Mariners have explosive young starting pitching and power arms at the end of the game. The additions of Eugenio Suarez at third base and Josh Naylor at first base have given the Mariners the depth and power they needed to fortify their lineup. They have no major weakness.
The Houston Astros have been a remarkable story and look like they will make the postseason as well. They have a shrinking one-game advantage over the Mariners in the AL West. The Astros haven’t had Yordan Alvarez – their best hitter – for most of the season and it isn’t clear if his injured hand will heal enough for him to perform at his best. Plus, third baseman Isaac Paredes is injured and may not return this year.
They did bring back infielder Carlos Correa at the deadline in a deal with the Twins and he is now manning third base. Houston is also relying upon three pitchers (Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti and Luis Garcia) to return to form after long absences due to injury. Not to mention closer Josh Hader was recently placed on the injured list with a sore shoulder that could keep him out a while. It feels like the Astros are sliding backwards rather than moving forward. They will likely make the postseason where their biggest strength may be their experience.
The Red Sox are certainly going to be a tough matchup for the Jays as each team knows the other well. The key position players in Boston are a bit green but very talented. They have an ace in Garrett Crochet and solid starters in Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito. However, I don’t love the Red Sox bullpen other than Aroldis Chapman. They are beatable.
The New York Yankees are in a deep dive currently. They have starting pitching and bullpen issues. Max Fried, their ace, is struggling and seems to be running out of gas. The rest of the rotation has been very unpredictable, as has the bullpen. Closer Devin Williams has lost his job and collapsed. They added three relievers at the deadline and all three have struggled. The city of New York is bearing down on the Yankees and the players feel like they are competing against themselves more than the opposition. They are fighting for their playoff lives, trying to stay in front of the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers. I think the Yankees will survive and advance but won’t last long in October with the way they are playing.
The Blue Jays are the best team in the American League. But remember, the team that wins in the playoffs isn’t necessarily the best team, but rather the team playing the best. Playing well at the right time is critical
My biggest concern about the Blue Jays continues to be the bullpen. There are more than a few good relievers at John Schneider’s disposal. I include Jeff Hoffman in that mix but I prefer him to pitch earlier in the game than the ninth inning. Once Shane Bieber is activated from the injured list, I would implement a six-man rotation. Then with two weeks left in the season, if there is enough of a cushion in the division lead, I would experiment with Jose Berrios as the closer. I believe that Berrios’ sweeper could be a wipeout pitch in the ninth inning. His fastball would play up in velocity in short spurts as well. Plus, he has a very resilient arm and a belly full of guts. I would also use Eric Lauer in the postseason bullpen, but that transition can just be made in October. He has served in that role before.
Thoughts on Shapiro, Scherzer
Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro’s media availability this week made it clear that only the details of an agreement need to be reached as he wants to stay in Toronto and ownership has made it clear to him that they would like him to stay as well. I would be shocked if they don’t work something out. As for general manager Ross Atkins, I fully expect Shapiro and ownership will retain him in his role. This season has been a remarkable success. Atkins put together a team that has the best record in the American League with 40 games left to play. That is worthy of keeping his job.
Max Scherzer was vintage Scherzer in his start on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs. In fact, over his last five starts since the All-Star break, he is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA. He is holding opponents to a .207 batting average and he has a .94 WHIP. These are nearly Cy Young Scherzer numbers. I no longer worry about his balky thumb. His stuff is excellent and his demeanor is all about competing against the opposition and not his own body. He looks playoff ready and would certainly be one of the pitchers to get the ball in a five-game Division Series.
Spitting Seeds
- The Milwaukee Brewers have won 12 straight games in their current streak. They also won 11 in a row earlier this season. They have baseball’s best record at 76-44. They have no stars and yet they have no weaknesses.
The Brewers have impact starting pitching and power arms at the end of the game. They are a great defensive team and they can manufacture runs by doing the little things. Milwaukee is second in runs scored per game and yet ranked just 19th in home runs. They use their speed and athleticism to create offence. They are the favorites to win the NL pennant in my opinion.
- The San Diego Padres have taken over first place in the NL West from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Padres GM A.J. Preller made moves at the trade deadline which plugged every hole they had while fortifying the already best bullpen in baseball. Manager Mike Schildt has so many options in the bullpen that he can shorten the game to a four-inning one if they get ahead since they have reliever after reliever who can neutralize any game situation.
The Padres’ biggest weakness is a lack of power bats. They are ranked 29th in home runs but all three of their position player acquisitions have pop. They are a World Series-calibre team but they can’t seem to beat the Dodgers. They may need another team to take the Dodgers out to find their path to a World Series.