It’s just twelve games.
Just twelve games of one-sixty-two. Yet, this current stretch against division rivals had the potential to tell the tale of how the remainder of the Blue Jays’ season might pan out, or so went the narrative leading up to them. The most perplexing aspect of the Jays’ play this season has been the lack of offensive production throughout the entire lineup. This comes after a 2015 in which the team scored a world-beating 891 runs, with an average of 5.50 runs per game.
The low point of the early season came when the Jays were swept at home by the struggling Tampa Bay rays in a three-game series in which the Jays managed to score seven total runs, thus prompting several team leaders to suggest a line-up shake-up ahead of their four-game stint in Minnesota that would have slugger Jose Bautista hit lead-off in an attempt to spark the offense. Though the Jays won three of those four games, they managed to score three runs or fewer in three of those games despite the Twins being the worst team in baseball (along with the Atlanta Braves), contributing to an average of 4.04 runs scored through the first forty-six games of the season and further fueling fears that this team . The narrative was so strong that one scout reportedly told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun that “maybe you’ll see a sell-off” should the Jays be unable to hit during these twelve consecutive interdivision games. Despite being early, this twelve-game stretch had a sense of urgency about it, a potentially critical turning point in a season surrounded by so many expectations.
The red-hot Blue Jays, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com writes, have begun to make some noise in the AL East, having won eight of the eleven games played thus far and twelve of fifteen since May 19th, claiming victories in four consecutive series and a chance to make it five straight with a win today over Boston. In this eleven game stretch, the Jays have moved from last to third in the division and now sit just 3.5 games out of first and 2.5 out of a wild card spot. More importantly, however, is that the Jays’ bats appear to have awakened from their slumber, having scored 55 runs over their last eleven games. The most encouraging sign, perhaps, is that the players themselves remained undaunted. Said R. A. Dickey: “In this clubhouse, we knew it was going to come. And we feel like we can play better. We knew it was going to be a matter of time. But that being said, we can’t let up off the gas. The division is really difficult. Anybody on any given day is going to kick you in the teeth in this division, so we have to keep the gas pedal down.”
That is exactly what this team is determined to do. Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star writes that prior to Friday night’s game in Boston, Jose Bautista wanted to discuss the recent success of the team rather than his own statistics: “Our starters have continued to do their job. Our pitching staff in general has stayed away from the home run. We’ve stayed longer in games and it’s allowed us to get more opportunities, allowed guys to come through with runners in scoring position. Those key hits when we need them. We haven’t really blown a lot of teams out but we’ve played really good baseball, great defense, and we’re getting that timely hit.”
The Jays are 11-4 since Bautista asked to be moved to lead off spot which, as DiManno states, was an unselfish decision, particularly given that this is his final year before free agency, as it will likely cause his own personal offensive stats to diminish. Instead, the entire lineup is reaping the benefits as other teams have had to make adjustments to the new-look Jays. Bautista is seeing more fastballs early in the count, after getting a lot of breaking balls earlier in the season (71% first-pitch fastballs as lead-off hitter compared to 66% earlier in the season) as opposing pitchers fear walking him ahead of Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion, who can help put up a crooked number with just one swing of the bat.
The result, says Bautista, is that they’re “getting better pitches to hit, better situations to execute.” The more significant factor, though, has been the contribution from the bottom of the order, aided by the addition of Devon Travis ten days ago, who is batting .258 in eight games and has battled through several difficult at-bats. It may be just a matter of time before he is moved to the top of the line up, which would give opposing pitchers yet another adjustment to make.
It’s just twelve games, and perhaps within the context of a 162-game season, they should not be considered all that important. But, given how the season had been progressing, a poor showing over these twelve games could have set the wheels in motion for the team to become sellers at the trade deadline. Instead, they are on the upswing – in fact, they are in a more enviable position than they were last season, when they were 26-30 and 4.5 games out of first on June 6th (and we all know how that story ended). It would seem at this point that the Jays have played their way right back into the conversation.
What a difference twelve games can make.
Quick Hits:
- Third baseman Josh Donaldson was out of the lineup on Saturday and is listed as day-to-day with a jammed right thumb, which had been bothering him before it flared up during Friday’s game in Boston.
- Much ado (about nothing) was made of a report stating that pending free agents Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion “envision” Boston as a landing spot next season. Neither seem close to a deal to return to Toronto. Bautista has reportedly asked for $150 million over five years, while Encarnacion apparently wants a four year deal (the Blue Jays have reportedly offered him two years). The lacklustre free agent market and looming need for Boston to replace retiring designated hitter David Ortiz does indeed make Boston a very realistic potential destination for either slugger. While the angst amongst Jays’ fans is understandable (no one wants to see their beloved players go to a division rival), the focus should be on the task at hand – namely, a return to the post-season. The rest will sort itself out.
- Darwin Barney, who has been in the starting lineup since Troy Tulowitzki was placed on the disabled list and is batting .333 in 99 plate appearances, says he wanted to re-sign with the Blue Jays when he hit free agency at the end of last season. The utility infielder signed a one year contract worth $1.05 million. Why was Barney so eager to return? “You walk into this clubhouse and these guys are swinging the bats the way they do it just kind of spreads…I like the feeling here, I like the attitude we bring. You can be yourself at the plate and you don’t have to do too much.” The feeling is mutual, Darwin. We’re happy to have you here.
- And, finally. Jose Bautista’s iconic bat-flip has been immortalized in numerous photos, t-shirts and various other paraphernalia, and now graces the box of Bautista’s favourite cereal, Golden Grahams Crunch. The deal includes a $10,000 donation to the Bautista Family Fund
Lead Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports