Stro What

I feel like the 2019 Blue Jays are a Monkey's Paw wish for me.

Like, for years I've just wanted the Blue Jays to be really bad and non-competitive, and now we finally have a meek, ineffective Jays team...and yet it's really fun! And now I feel bad for them! Why must this team continue to manipulate my emotions?

I mean, I legitimately felt bad for Matt Shoemaker when he got injured. The dude was pitching beautifully, and he left a visible hole in that rotation. I also felt bad when Vladdie spent his first 12 games as an offensive liability. I mean, the Jays have become the kind of team that you feel bad for, the underdog of the AL race. And I kind of don't want this, because the memories of this team ascending the AL East in June and not letting go are still very fresh in my mind. I know what happens to this team when they get momentum, and I don't want them to.

But...this is a very fun team they've assembled. The top offensive producer is Eric Sogard, a perennial bench bat who's finally getting the fan following he deserves. Randal Grichuk has been placed in position to lead the team, and he's doing well enough. Marcus Stroman is having his best season since the playoff runs, and is quieting opposing batters like his rookie year again. Trent Thornton is still proving to be a nice call-up. And Ken Giles has quietly become one of the best closing pitchers in the AL. So a lot has happened with only a few wins.

As far as ineffective teams go, I put the Jays alongside the A's and Reds, in that I want them to get better, but I'm fine with them vying for the bottom. And considering the Jays' recent success, the bottom is a nice place for them to be.

Coming Tonight: After owning baseball last year with a nasty young rotation, the Braves have decided to...sort of reassemble it. Which is a godsend for this guy, who's having the breakout he's deserved for a while.