It was just a few short weeks ago when the Blue Jays and their fans felt like they were on top of the world. They had made some big moves at the trade deadline, were playing back in Toronto, and had a remarkable comeback win against the Boston Red Sox. After that incredible victory against the Red Sox on Sunday, August 8th, the Jays were only 3.0 games out of the second wildcard spot. Now, after a horrendous road trip, and poor performances at home, they find themselves 6.5 games out of the second wildcard spot. On August 9th, Fangraphs had the Jays’ chances to make the playoffs at 46.9%, now, the Jays’ odds are at 4.5%. To say the last few weeks have been painful to watch would be an understatement. The team seems to find a new way to lose each day, and they can’t seem to get out of their own way.
A few months ago, it was the bullpen that was costing the team wins, but lately the team’s biggest issue has been the lack of offence. While the bullpen isn’t perfect, it’s better than what it was in a couple of months ago. Now, a team that has been one of the best offences in the American League all season, can’t seem to score more than two or three runs a game. In their last 9 games, they have scored more than three runs only once – and that came in a 10-7 loss against the White Sox.
It isn’t like they aren’t getting their opportunities to score either. They are getting guys on base, but they can’t seem to get those big hits to break games open. Their ability to hit with runners in scoring position has been abysmal as of late. Since August 20th, they are 12-81 with runners in scoring position. That is a pathetic 0.148 batting average. What’s even more excruciating is that the pitching has been excellent in most of the games. In six of the last nine games, the starters have given up one or fewer runs, and the Jays have lost half of those games. The team has wasted quality starts by the rotation, and if the offence was even a little half-decent, they would have won those all of those games.
The team’s playoff aspirations are dwindling by the day, and it is becoming more and more likely that they will not make the postseason. All players go through slumps throughout the season, but this isn’t a case of one or two guys not hitting; it has been the entire team, and it has come at a terrible time. They have had opportunities to win games and catch the teams ahead of them in standings, but they have not been able to capitalize. The postseason looks to be an unattainable goal, so now they need to focus on stopping the freefall, and make sure they finish with a record above .500.