Ross Smiles As He Eases the Gun From My Hand (Toronto Blue Jays (62-54) vs. New York Yankees (73-45))
If you had told me in April that vibes in August would be improved after a 1-2 series loss at home to the Baltimore Orioles, I would have told you to fuck off.
To say the vibe on the online JaySpace has been apoplectic over the last week-plus would be an understatement. The panicking and aimless, enraged gnashing of teeth over the Jays’ 2-8 (3-8 after yesterday) stretch doesn’t have a direct comparison that I can think of to the dozens of uncles screaming “FIRE MONTOYA!!!!” into the void of the Twitter account, or even any of the similarly bad stretches the team had been on earlier in the year.
And I can understand it, believe it or not. Though I don’t agree with the calls for Ross Atkins’ or even Pete Walker’s head. I’m still of the firm belief that the front office put together a good team going into the season and that the deadline moves, while underwhelming, were all good (albeit marginal) boosts to the team now while still potentially helping the Blue Jays out in the future. The José Berríos deal is perhaps concerning, but Berríos has a longer track record of being good than terrible, and the Yusei Kikuchi deal….
Anyways, all that aside, I do understand the panic. Because the fact of the matter is, we've been waiting all season to see this team play to its potential, and while they’ve done so in spurts, they have yet to put together a truly dominant run. There’s a sense that this team has been less than the sum of its parts. While they’ve been a top-five team in wRC+, the offence still goes through extended stretches of being unable to swing bats in a manner befitting an MLB team. Yesterday was only their fourth game in August in which they managed to score more than five runs. Pitching-wise, while the bullpen has stabilized to “middling”, Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah have been excellent in the rotation, Ross Stripling has been a pleasant surprise, but Hyun Jin Ryu was lost to injury and Berríos and Kikuchi have both been utter disasters to various extents.
Throughout the season, and even now, I have been thoroughly convinced that this Toronto Blue Jays team can stack up against any opponent in the American League. The thing is, they’re running out of opportunities to do so. They’re barely in a playoff spot, coming up on a rough stretch against the Yankees, a team that has scuffled lately but has been one of the best teams in baseball for most of the season.
In short, “yipes”.
But! Yesterday’s game was a huge momentum shifter, hopefully. What looked for a while like a near-perfect Ross Stripling start ruined by an offence incapable of scoring off the powerhouse that is Austin Voth, became a massive six-run inning that seemed to energize both the team and, from what I could tell, the fanbase. And not that this is repeatable, let alone quantifiable, but this is a team that has responded well to these jolts of momentum later in the season before.
There are no guarantees of course, but the good vibes, even if short-lived or conditional, are better than the alternative.
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TRANSACTIONS
George Springer was, clearly, activated prior to Monday’s game, delivering a key pinch-hit RBI single in Wednesday’s game. Designated for assignment to make room on the active roster (and open up a spot on the 40-man for later if/when needed) was old Bradley Zimmer, he of the .105/.209/.237 slash line in 87 plate appearances. This afternoon, Zimmer was claimed by the Philadelphia Phillies to serve as outfield depth, presumably as a continuation of the Phillies’ newly-discovered theory of “actually having players who can catch baseballs on a semi-consistent basis.”
I already talked about Zimmer and his effectively being replaced by Jackie Bradley Jr. here, so I’m not gonna get super into it, but suffice it to say, I’m still not a fan. And before writing an angry comment interrogating how I can possibly defend Bradley Fucking Zimmer, keep in mind that they told Jesus he was wrong too.
SCOREBOARD WATCHING
Ohboyohboy, it’s that time of year again!
The Tampa Bay Rays took two of three from the New York Yankees, though they lost the third after taking the lead in extra innings, only to get walked off by a Josh Donaldson grand slam. Next, they’ll play host to the Kansas City Royals, which, uh, should take some of the sting out alright. Meanwhile, the Orioles will host the Chicago Cubs for exactly one game before the Boston Red Sox come to town, which shouldn’t exactly hurt them either.
Carrying on the trend of the Jays’ main competitor playing dogshit opponents, the Seattle Mariners will head to Oakland to play the A’s, and the Minnesota Twins will face off against the Texas Rangers in Minneapolis. The Chicago White Sox, on the other hand, will face the comparably mediocre Cleveland Guardians (bold words considering the last week for the Jays, I know) in a series that has bigger implications for the limp-ass AL Central crown than it probably does for the Wild Card.
BEST BIRDS
Hitter: Santiago Espinal (4)
Honourable Mentions: George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Pitcher: Ross Stripling (4)
Honourable Mentions: Anthony Bass, Adam Cimber
Best Bird Standings:
Hitters:
Matt Chapman- 7
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.- 5
Santiago Espinal- 4
Teoscar Hernández- 4
George Springer- 4
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.- 3
Alejandro Kirk- 3
Bo Bichette- 3
Danny Jansen- 2
Cavan Biggio- 1
Zack Collins - 1
Pitchers:
Alek Manoah- 14
Kevin Gausman- 8
Ross Stripling- 4
José Berríos- 4
Yusei Kikuchi- 4
Anthony Bass- 2
David Phelps- 1
Jordan Romano- 1
SCHEDULE/PROBABLE PITCHERS
Thursday, August 18 (7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST)
José Berríos (5.61 ERA, 5.07 FIP, 20.3 K%, 5.8 BB%)
Frankie Montas (3.59 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 24.8 K%, 7.1 BB%)
Wednesday, August 19 (7 p.m. EST/5 p.m. MST)
Kevin Gausman (3.16 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 27.7 K%, 4.1 BB%)
Jameson Taillon (3.95 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 20.6 K%, 4.6 BB%)
Thursday, August 20 (1 p.m. EST/11 a.m. MST)
Mitch White (3.72 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 18.7 K%, 8.3 BB%)
Gerrit Cole (3.30 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 32.2 K%, 6.1 BB%)
Friday, August 21 (1:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. MST)
Alek Manoah (2.71 ERA, 3.54 FIP, 22.6 K%, 6.0 BB%)
Nestor Cortés Jr. (2.74 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 26.0 K%, 5.9 BB%)
THE OPPOSITION
Pythagorean Record: 79-39
Season Series vs. Blue Jays: 8-4
Record since the last series vs. Blue Jays: 24-28
Last 10 games: 3-7
BEST (HEALTHY) PLAYERS IN THE SERIES
Aaron Judge, Outfield, .297/.394/.667, 196 wRC+
D.J. LeMahieu, Utility Infielder, .279/.381/.417, 135 wRC+
José Treviño, Catcher, .269/.295/.429, 105 wRC+
Nestor Cortés Jr., Starting Pitcher, 2.74 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 26.0 K%, 5.9 BB%
Gerrit Cole, Starting Pitcher, 3.30 ERA, 3.20 FIP, 32.2 K%, 6.1 BB%