JAYS’ OFFENCE GOES AWOL
Unlikely to get any better with Nats visiting Toronto, writes Rob Longley.
It was never really going to be a fair fight, but the more the Toronto Blue Jays struggle at the plate this season, the more it’s clear how ill-equipped they are to compete in the slugger-happy American League East.
It’s been evident at various points this season and the team is struggling in multiple areas now. But the lack of production at the plate is high on the list.
With third baseman Josh Donaldson still hurt, the designated hitter position a dead zone, and Kevin Pillar significantly cooled from his sizzling early start, just to name three variables, the offence is non-existent on too many nights.
Take away the outlier of the four-game series sweep against the Baltimore Orioles last week at the Rogers Centre and the lack of production is glaring. In the five most recent games not including the Os, the Jays have scored just seven runs including being shut out twice and held to a single run on another occasion.
“It’s the American League East, man. You’ve got to score runs if you want to win games,” said 2017 all-star first baseman Justin Smoak, one of the team’s scuffling, frustrated hitters. “That’s the name of the game here.
“I feel like we’re not getting it done, honestly. We’re hitting into a lot of double plays and making quick, easy innings.”
While batting average isn’t the only measure of offence given the preponderance of walks in today’s game, it’s still an indicator of trouble. And the Jays’ team average of .232 is ranked 13th in the AL with only Texas and Baltimore lower.
The Jays’ run differential sits at minus-27, glaring in comparison with the Red Sox (plus-103) and Yankees (plus-91). While those teams continue to go bombs away, the Jays bats are getting quieter and quieter, the most recent example being Wednesday’s 1-0 walk off loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in which Toronto starter J.A. Happ pitched a onehitter over five shutout innings.
In the just completed threegame brooming at the hands of the Rays, the Jays scored four runs and one run to go along with the shutout extra-inning loss. The Jays didn’t have an extrabase hit in their last two games, the first time they’ve done that since 2011.
With a day off to ponder those woes, it’s not about to get any easier facing a very good Washington Nationals team for three games at the Rogers Centre.
First up for the Nats is left hander Gio Gonzalez, who will take his 6-2 record and 2.65 ERA against a Jays team that has dropped its past 11 starts against lefties. On Saturday, former Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (10-2, 2.00) gets the ball.
Smoak knows he’s one of the players that has to pick it up. With just one hit in his past 25 at-bats and only nine homers after his breakthrough campaign of 38, he’s symptomatic of the Jays’ hitting woes.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” said Smoak. “We just have to keep going out and keep showing up and try to get better.”
MAKE IT RAIN
As he continues to recover from his latest injury, a strain of his left calf, Donaldson is attempting to keep frustration out of the equation.
“I’m ready to go and ready to get going,” said Donaldson. “I know I can help this team but I can’t think about (rushing back). I’ve got to do what I can to get better and feel better.”