Player rants show Blue Jays’ status quo not good enough

An excerpt from Richard Griffin’s Bullpen:

There are national observers that suggest the critical outbursts in Houston by third baseman Josh Donaldson and pitcher Mark Buehrle demonstrated that even those respected veterans, perceived as leaders, see this ship taking on water and are sounding the alarm. That is not the case. Both men were, as is always the case, simply responding to reporters’ questions on Saturday after the Jays had lost their fourth straight game on the road to drop four games under .500, in last place.

Buehrle went the distance in taking the loss and then was asked about the team’s losing streak.

“It’s not good,” Buehrle said. “I’m stating the obvious right now when I say that we stink. We are not playing very good in every aspect. When we’re pitching good, we’re not hitting. When we hit and score runs, which we have done most of the year, we are not doing a good job of pitching.”

On the other side of the Jays’ room, Donaldson was giving his own views regarding the club’s recent compete-levels, calling out unnamed teammates in what can be construed as controlled rage.

“I can only control what I do,” Donaldson began. “The guys beside me can only control what they do. It’s really just about going out there and getting the job done. This isn’t the ‘try’ league, this is the ‘get it done’ league. Eventually they’re gonna find people who are going to get it done.”

Those that might have been expected to speak up, including incumbent leader Jose Bautista, who likes to downplay issues, and manager John Gibbons, who prefers to internalize his frustration and is not a fan of clubhouse meetings, have not.

Because prior to Houston, there seemed to be nobody willing to show emotion, the losing, the bullpen failures, the starting rotation’s inability to go deep into games and the lack of clutch-hitting on the recent trip, has clearly frustrated fans and likely has allowed players to whom the pointed messages of Donaldson and Buehrle are directed believe they can keep coasting.

Fighting words by themselves are not going to turn the season around for the Jays. They need Bautista back in right field. They need R.A. Dickey to crank it up and return to an eight-inning strikeout artist capable of giving you 110 pitches every time out. They need a productive Jose Reyes back in the leadoff spot. They need Devon Travis to get healthy and settle in somewhere between his April form and the slump he has encountered in May. And they need another back-of-the-bullpen contributor to go with Brett Cecil and Roberto Osuna.

But that being said, fans prefer the players to show they care in the dugout as much as those buying tickets. But that being said, the obscene outburst by Donaldson on Monday exchanging insults with the Angels dugout after striking out against reliever Mike Morin went too far. That was not leadership. That was pent-up intra-divisional rage carried over from his days with the A’s.

If the exchange with Donaldson and Angels pitching coach had happened between Brett Lawrie and Mike Butcher, even I would have been all over the Jays third baseman for being a bit of a punk. But because it’s Donaldson, who is sublimely intense as opposed to ridiculously intense, he gets a pass.

Now if you are in there every day, the Jays players have not given up on their season. They honestly believe they can bounce back and compete, but the underlying message from Buehrle and Donaldson may also be directed at GM Alex Anthopoulos and Rogers ownership. Do something to help and do it now. The status quo, especially in the bullpen, is not good enough.