No quit in Blue Jays’ drive for the playoffs
Critical series versus Tampa coming up
The mathematicians among the baseball crowd will tell you that with the too many teams to pass, there’s no chance the Toronto Blue Jays will snag a playoff spot in the American League for a third consecutive year.
But as long as there’s a mathematical chance, the Jays vow to charge ahead, beginning with a four-game series against the Tampa Rays beginning Monday at the Rogers Centre.
The Jays are hoping that a long-awaited hot streak will start against their division rival Rays, who are also in the wild card chase. Their 7-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday was the Jays second in a row and seventh in the past 11.
It also opened up the possibility of moving to within four games of .500 for the first time since June 29.
The Jays are certainly getting better results at home, too. They have won nine of their past 13 at the Rogers Centre and with a 31-28 record, they are three games above .500 at home for the first time since June 14.
“I don’t know, you don’t know, nobody knows,” manager John Gibbons said when asked about the playoff prospects.
Whether it’s good enough remains to be seen.
But with third baseman Josh Donaldson heating up at the plate and the starting pitching showing signs of improvement, a lengthy winning streak seems more realistic now than it did a few weeks back.
“We’re not that far out of it,” Jays shortstop Ryan Goins said on Sunday. “If we can put together a good stretch, we’ll have a shot.
The mathematicians might argue otherwise, but in a crazy year of mediocrity for the AL East, who knows?
Quick hits
With Russell Martin on the 10-day DL with a torn oblique, help may be on the way. Miguel Montero, who has been sidelined with a groin injury since Aug. 3, is nearing a return . ... One minor roster move on Sunday saw reliever Dominic Leone leave on bereavement leave to be replaced on the roster by Matt Dermody … Leone appeared in Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Pirates, allowing just one hit in 1 2/3 innings of work … With Dermody in the fold, the Jays have three lefties in the bullpen ... J. P. Howell and Aaron Loup are the others … Courtesy of some generous help from the Pittsburgh defence, the Jays did something not seen around the team in 35 years in Saturday’s 7-2 win. It was the first time since then that they won a home game with seven or more runs with nary an extra-base hit … Down on the farm, Joe Biagini continues to work toward a return to the big club from the Buffalo Bisons. Biagini threw 65 pitches in 3.1 innings on Friday.