(Music Pun #4. Sorry if this one stings a bit.)
The Blue Jays are 12-6 right now. Second in the AL East. This...is not good. Not at all.
The thing is, this is definitely a team in flux. Jose Bautista is gone--that's the most important bit. Russell Martin, one of the other symbols of the older guard, is nearly done, as Luke Maile is doing a MUCH BETTER job as catcher than he is. People like Kevin Pillar, Yangervis Solarte and Aledmys Diaz are picking up the roots of this team and trying to save it. Now, granted, there are a ton of people in this lineup, like Randal Grichuk, Devon Travis, Kendrys Morales, and the aforementioned Martin. And...Josh Donaldson, the team's star, is injured. Additionally, the rotation is a bit weightier than usual, with higher ERAs than usual from Marcus Stroman and Marco Estrada.
So, while this is not a perfect team, this is a team that knows how to win. And judging from the fact that Roberto Osuna already has 5 saves, this team is winning a ton when it shouldn't be. A ton of clutch aspects here. So yes, while the Yankees were able to put the Jays away tonight, they might not be as lucky. The Blue Jays aren't...nominally what I'd call 'good' per se, but they're sneaky, and they can hide the fact that they're not wall-to-wall amazing by stealing games and walking off. This is what they did towards the last half of 2015 and 2016, so it's worrying me a great deal that they're looking to be good at this now.
Things will even out, but...the Blue Jays could still remain a figure in the division. So I'll be hoping that they don't.
Coming Today: One of the more impressive veterans still producing right now, suiting up for a red-hot NL East team.
Agreed - I think the Jays are playing above themselves right now, though I am hoping it is the team as a whole being better than the sum of it's parts. I'd call the season a major success if the Jays can sneak into the playoffs, and we all know, anything can happen in the playoffs.
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