As the calendar flips to September, the Blue Jays and their fans have accepted that there will be no pennant race at the Rogers Centre this season. While the team headed into 2017 with an eye on a third straight playoff appearance, injuries and subpar performance made this season a rather underwhelming one on the field. But […]
Tag: Michael Saunders
Artificial Turf Wars Ep. 63: A Tall Glass of Juiced Balls
Episode 63 The Ringer and Effectively Wild’s Ben Lindbergh drops by to talk about his recent piece on the effect of the baseball on the home run surge across baseball. He goes over his findings relating to the bounce of the ball and the lower seams, the cause/effect relationship of the new ball and the […]
Report: Blue Jays Qualify Bautista and Encarnacion, Decline to Offer Saunders
The Blue Jays qualifying offer decisions came down today, and if you were hoping for some big surprise to get you excited about the Jays, you were probably a little disappointed. #BlueJays extend qualifying offers to Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. No offer for Michael Saunders. — Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) November 7, 2016 As predicted […]
On Michael Saunders and Defying Expectations
There were high expectations for the Toronto Blue Jays coming into the 2016 season. The end to 2015 was thrilling, and the Jays had made the playoffs for the first time in 22 years. Most of that exciting team was coming back, and there were even places a couple of places where you’d expect improvement. […]
Donaldson’s Bold Move Pays Off for Jays
TORONTO – Ballsy. Reckless. Bold. Aggressive. Call it whatever you want, but Josh Donaldson’s decision to round third and attempt to score on a ball in the dirt that was laying at the feet of Texas Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland was certainly not your run of the mill play. As Donaldson laid out, doing […]
The Blue Jays’ Canadian Trio on the Playoffs in Toronto
Toronto – The postseason is the biggest stage that Major League Baseball has to offer. It’s a time of high intensity, high pressure, and high stakes. Every little detail matters. In the course of a season, or even a game, a misplay or poor decision can go unnoticed. Lost in the greater context of events […]
Recap: Mariners 2, Blue Jays 1; Canadian Shuts Down Canada’s Team
Marco Estrada returned and tried to shake of the rust, and James Paxton pitched on ‘home soil’ with a polished approach as the Jays faced the Mariners on Friday night. Save a Canadian vs. Canadian home run from Michael Saunders off of Paxton, the Jays couldn’t find a way to get a big hit with […]
Recap: Blue Jays 4, Royals 2; Bring Out The Brooms!
That was one heck of a ballgame and it concluded in the best possible outcome, a sweep of the Kansas City Royals. Marcus Stroman was excellent for a second consecutive outing, not giving up a baserunner until the sixth inning. Michael Saunders led the offense with a home run and the game winning RBI in […]
How Much of Michael Saunders’ Season is a Breakout?
As I’m sure you know by now, Michael Saunders has had himself quite the season. Last Friday night, he put an exclamation point on it with a nifty three home run performance. Those three homers were the 13th, 14th, and 15th of Saunders’ season. On top of that, he’s put up a .335 TAv and 2.0 […]
Recap: Blue Jays 13, Orioles 3; Michael Saunders for MVP
The Blue Jays have scored 51 first-inning runs this year, including three tonight against the Orioles. Michael Saunders hit his first homerun of the night to left field in the top of the first inning, cashing in Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion. Aaron Sanchez labored through the first inning, and the Orioles got one back […]