admin“Toronto may not have to weather the storm anymore.”
The Toronto Blue Jays are in fourth place in the American League East with a 41-35 record through 22 games. It’s a tough row to hoe, given that there are only two teams in the division with a winning percentage above .600 (the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles). Notably, they’re a whopping 10 games behind first-place Tampa Bay온라인카지노.
Again this year, Toronto will have to rely on the Wild Card race to make the postseason. But the wild-card race isn’t easy. They’ll need to knock at least one of the Houston Astros and New York Yankees out of their half-game lead. The perennial bottom feeders, the Los Angeles Angels, are tied for the fourth wild-card spot at 41-35, the same as Toronto.
Toronto has a decent offence, with a team batting average of .262 (4th in the American League) and a team OPS of .744 (6th in the American League). However, their team ERA of 4.03 is eighth in the American League. The starters are 6th at 4.08 and the bullpen is 10th at 3.95. Not bad, but not great either.
Still, as the Toronto Star of Canada wrote on the 22nd, “This season isn’t as bad as fans are making it out to be. They’re in the middle of the wild card hunt.” The nine-game schedule right after the All-Star break is good, and the next 12 games will be tough.
The Toronto Star said, “The mound is fine. They’re getting the production they need from Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassett, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi. The bullpen is good enough. The lack of depth is a concern, but with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Chad Green rehabbing and the trade deadline right around the corner, Toronto may not have to weather the storm for much longer.”
The Toronto Star’s position is that while the Jays may not win the AL East, they have a good chance of earning a wild card. The maths is indeed there. However, things aren’t quite that rosy. They’ll still need to sweep the Angels, and they’ll need to knock off one of Houston or the Yankees. We can’t forget about the Boston Red Sox, who are two games behind us.
Shohei Ohtani’s Angels are the biggest favourites. Toronto needs to be less vulnerable to Ohtani. Realistically, if they can’t weather the Ohtani storm, they won’t be able to play autumn baseball. Both Ohtani and the Angels are determined to play autumn baseball for the first time in a long time.
Toronto’s best late-season reinforcement is Ryu Hyun-jin. After two live pitching sessions, Ryu will begin a full minor league rehab assignment. He’s been working on his conditioning with the goal of making a comeback right after the All-Star break. However, there are not many examples of pitchers returning to form after Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation. Ryu is reportedly very motivated, but his performance in the second half of the season is still up in the air.