The Blue Jays risk digging a hole they can’t find their way out of
After a pair of gruelling series against the playoff-hopeful Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros, life isn’t about to get easier for the offensively challenged Blue Jays.
The Jays set a modern-day major-league record in Houston: They are the only team since 1901 to be victimized by a no-hitter and a one-hitter through the first seven games of a season.
They also set franchise records for the fewest hits (nine) and lowest batting average (. 106) across a three-game series. The previous lows, according to Sportsnet Stats, were 10 hits and a .112 average against the Red Sox from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, 1978.
In a sign of just how bad things were for the lineup, the Jays managed just seven hits while not scoring a single run in 21 2/3 innings against Astros starters. The only runs over three days came on a two-run homer by Davis Schneider off Houston closer Josh Hader.
After such a trying opening stretch, which included a series split against the Rays at Tropicana Field, surely the schedule is about to ease up, right? No. The next two series are equally difficult.
It starts with a four-game set in the Bronx against the division-rival Yankees, with former Toronto ace Marcus Stroman making his hometown debut for New York.
The timing of this series isn’t ideal. The Jays are near the bottom of the league in almost every major offensive category: last in average (. 176), 26th in on-base plus slugging percentage (. 579) and 23rd in runs (22), with almost all the offence coming in a pair of wins against the Rays.
The Yankees are off to a blistering 6-1 start. They swept the Astros on the road to open the season and they followed that up by taking two of three from the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks. New York entered play Thursday 12th in he majors with 32 runs and fifth with a 2.53 ERA.
The Jays return to the Rogers Centre on Monday for the start of their first homestand but that doesn’t provide any relief with the competitive Seattle Mariners rolling into town.
Beyond the Seattle series, the Jays have another matchup with the Yankees looming, plus series against the Padres and Dodgers. Even a pair of series against the improved Royals might not be as easy as they were in the past, which means the only layup the Jays can expect this month is when the Rockies make the trip north April 12-14.
The schedule becomes substantially easier in May. There are eight games against the Orioles, Rays and Phillies but the rest of the month is spent playing teams almost exclusively from the AL and NL Central, two of the weakest divisions in MLB. There’s also a series against the rebuilding Nationals.
The Jays should be able to move up the standings once those slate of games arrive, but they need to survive the opening month first. That makes this series in New York more important than a typical April affair. If the Jays split the series, they will head home one game under .500. If they get swept, the team that currently finds itself in a tie for last place in the AL East, will be five games under .500 and in desperate need of playing catch up.
The Jays will surely spend the next couple days preaching patience. It’s early, they will say, these players have hit before and they’ll hit again. We will be cautioned that with just seven games under their belt, it’s far too early to rush to judgment.
In most years, that stance would be justified, but not this one. The sample size isn’t seven games, it’s 169 games because, outside of adding Justin Turner, this lineup is almost identical to the one that was used throughout 2023. It didn’t work then and it’s not working now.
It better change soon. The Jays can’t afford to wait until May for their bats to heat up. It needs to happen in April, otherwise this team might will find itself in a hole that’s too big to dig out of.
Discover more from SuperD24
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.