Jays’ numbers have vastly improved
Since all- star break, club’s statistics signal dramatic turnaround
Good pitching beats good hitting. All the smart folks say that. So before the Blue Jays invaded Yankee Stadium, it seemed a little odd to hear the experts predicting a weekend slugfest.
Good hitting, they seemed to say, would surely beat good pitching this time. After all, these were the two best offences in baseball.
One of those two great offences scored a total of 10 runs in the three- game series. The other team scored one run. In two of the three games, the pitching on both sides was terrific.
But the Blue Jays’ pitching was better, which is a key reason they swept the series 2- 1, 6- 0 and 2- 0, extending their winning streak to eight games and moving to within 1 1/2 games of the front- running Yankees.
In fact, since the all- star break, Toronto’s pitching has been the best in the American League. Before the break, that seemed a sentence no one would write. Three key reasons for the improvement:
Jays’ pitchers have dramatically reduced their walk rate;
They are yielding fewer home runs;
The defence behind them is significantly better.
All of which speaks, at least in part, to the major upgrades general manager Alex Anthopoulos achieved in the days leading up to the July 31 trade deadline.
The big news focused on the star power of slugger Troy Tulowitzki and elite starter David Price. Less was made of Tulowitzki’s fielding proficiency at shortstop, the defensive skill of new left- fielder Ben Revere, and the bullpen boost provided by veterans LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe.
All five made important contributions to the New York sweep, along with Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista with their timely home- run swings.
With Donaldson, Tulowitzki, Ryan Goins and Justin Smoak, the Jays boast one of baseball’s best infield defences. Smoak has seen more playing time recently, and except for his grand slam against Ivan Nova on Saturday, has not hit much. But his defence has been superb.
“I do think the defence has been big,” Anthopoulos said during a radio interview on Sportsnet 590 on Monday. “Some of those picks that Smoak made the last few games, those are huge. You just don’t know how an inning is going to unfold ( otherwise).”
The GM’s tour de force came at an ideal time and addressed every significant need. The Jays are 16- 6 since the break and 11- 1 since Tulowitzki arrived. With everybody taking instrumental turns, confidence abounds.
“We’re making Alex look good,” Hawkins said after the Jays completed the stunning sweep on Sunday. “Hey, he made all the moves.”
As the Jays prepare for a sixgame homestand — three games against Oakland before a nearly sold- out weekend rematch with the Yankees — here is a look at how this team since the all- star break.
THE PITCHING
The Jays’ staff was below league-average in virtually all statistical departments entering the break. The starters were especially walkprone, and as a staff, they had a 2.52/ 1 strikeout- to- walk ratio. Since the break, their ratio is 3.41/ 1.
Before the break, Toronto pitchers gave up 96 homers, secondmost in the league. Since then, they have allowed a league- low 17.
Both the starters ( 2.69) and relievers ( 1.70) have league- best ERAs since the break. They are keeping runners off base, which means they’re throwing more strikes, and better strikes, and getting solid defensive support.
R. A. Dickey has settled into an ace’s groove over the past two months ( 2.59 ERA in his past 13 starts). Mark Buehrle has a 2.44 ERA over his past nine and Marco Estrada has a 2.44 mark over his past 10. Price has been brilliant, as advertised, in two starts since the trade. Only Drew Hutchison, with his peculiar 10- 2 record and 5.42 ERA, has been worrisome. ( And when he pitches, the offence averages nearly seven runs per game.)
It is a commentary on how far the bullpen has come that Aaron Loup, one of the Jays’ most reliable relievers over the past three years, threw exactly one pitch in his last outing on July 31 and has not pitched since. Loup has struggled this year, and now ranks as manager John Gibbons’ last option.
Hawkins and Lowe have brought power arms and veteran savvy to a bullpen already augmented by the return of Aaron Sanchez. With the starters averaging seven innings during the winning streak, the relievers have stayed fresh.
“Our ‘ pen’s pretty deep now,” Anthopoulos said in his radio interview, “and we don’t have to abuse any of those guys. We can give them the rest, and especially when you have starters going deep as well.”
THE OFFENCE
Since the break, the Jays’ status as an offensive juggernaut has slipped, but only a bit. After leading the majors in runs and OPS before the break, they are fourth in both categories in the period since then.
But they still hit homers like nobody else, as Yankees fans discovered. Nine of Toronto’s 10 runs in the series came on homers, and during the winning streak, they have hit 15, accounting for 27 of their 41 runs.
With sluggers piled at the top, the lineup remains a source of stress for opposing pitchers, who cannot afford to relax after getting an out. The next hitter is just waiting to jump on a mistake, as Yankee pitchers learned on the weekend.
In the wake of the sweep, writers and commentators dug deep for superlatives. One radio host called the Jays “as close to a perfect team as you can find,” which, of course, is a stretch, given that several lineup spots where defence thrives have produced little offence. ( Kevin Pillar, the human highlight reel in centre field, has hit .185 with a .487 OPS over the past month.)
But overall, the new pieces have fit snugly into the puzzle. The emerging picture looks, for the moment at least, like an authentic contender. And the bandwagon is packed.
“We’ve climbed back real close,” Gibbons told reporters after the sweep. “We haven’t done anything yet, other than excite our fans. Hopefully, we keep that up.”