There is nothing better than watching meaningful September baseball. There are just a few weeks left in the regular season, and Blue Jays are right in the middle of a playoff race. It was just a couple of weeks ago when the Jays looked fatigued, dead in the water, and nowhere close to a wildcard spot. However, after an incredible comeback win over the Athletics on September 3rd, the Jays would go on to win eight in a row including sweeping a four-game series at Yankee stadium – something that hasn’t happened since 2003. Now, after obliterating the Orioles by scoring 44 runs over three games, they have moved ahead of the Yankees, and are tied with the Red Sox for the wildcard.
The Jays have a favourable schedule for the remainder of the season which should help their chances making the playoffs, but as we know, anything can happen in baseball, and even the worst team can beat the best on a given day. The Jays need to do what the good teams are supposed to do, and that is beat up on the bad teams. For example, the division-leading Rays are 18-1 against the Orioles for the season. The Jays haven’t enjoyed such a lob-sided record against another team this season, but hopefully they can continue to demonstrate their offensive prowess, and take advantage of the Twins’ and Orioles’ poor pitching.
The Jays’ offence is what hurt them most in mid-August, as they really struggled to get hits with runners in scoring position. Both the starting pitching and bullpen has been steady as of late, and now it is time for them to put everything together. Saturday afternoon they scored a total of 22 runs in the doubleheader, and then 22 runs in Sunday’s game alone! If the offence can be a little more consistent and they can come up with clutch hits with men on base, they should be able to slug their way to more victories.
The Jays in are control of their own destiny. Both the Red Sox and Yankees are struggling right now, and the Jays have managed to catch them in the standings. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but it is very possible for the Jays to take the first wildcard spot. These next couple of weeks should be filled with excitement, but they will not be easy, and every game will be stressful. Win, lose or draw, the Jays competing for the wild card this late in the season is something fans were hoping for, but perhaps not expecting. There indeed is nothing better than watching meaningful September baseball.