Plenty to work on at home in Buffalo
The Blue Jays wrapped up their first “road trip” of the season dreaming about what could have been, instead of what was.
Right-hander Thomas Hatch surrendered a walk-off homer to Mitch Moreland in the ninth inning in Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox. It marked the third walk-off loss for the Jays this season and the fifth time they were defeated by two runs or fewer.
The Jays will carry a 5-8 record into their first “homestand” with a two-game series against the Marlins looming Tuesday night in Buffalo. Toronto technically played a pair of home games against the Nationals late last month, but those games took place in Washington because the Jays needed more time to prep Sahlen Field for major-league play.
“We’ve played good,” Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said shortly before his team departed Fenway Park, after dropping two of three to the Red Sox. “We’ve been in every game, we played teams that won 90 games last year, and we’re just this close. We’re competing every day.
“Now, the toughest thing as a team is that next jump — the little things, the two-out RBIs, making all the plays to win those games. We haven’t done that. We’ve played good enough, but if we did those things our record would be different.”
The reason the Jays have been in so many games is because of their pitching. The starting rotation has been middle of the pack with a 4.33
ERA, but the bullpen has been exceptional despite a slew of late-inning losses. Jays relievers rank third in the American League with a 3.21 ERA, and their 29 walks are tied for sixth fewest in the majors.
Most of that success has come without their top bullpen arm. Closer Ken Giles was placed on the 10-day injured list after his second appearance of the season. Since then, Anthony Bass has assumed ninth-inning duties while Jordan Romano was promoted to top setup man. Young arms such as Ryan
Borucki, Anthony Kay and Hatch have provided length and versatility.
The negatives include just about everything else.
Toronto averaged just three runs over its first 13 games while hitting .195 with runners in scoring position, which ranks last in the majors. Only the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals have scored fewer runs and they’ve both played fewer games. Teoscar Hernandez (.941) and Bo Bichette (.816) are off to decent starts, but the team sits 26th in the majors with a .642 OPS.
There also have been issues in the field. Vladimir Guerrero dropped a couple of easy popups at first base on Friday.
Bichette and Cavan Biggio made errors on Saturday, while Matt Shoemaker made two more on Sunday. Adding to the miscues have been mental blunders on the basepaths with Toronto giving away far too many free outs, something teams can’t get away with in tight ball games.
The Jays looked strong during their opening series of the year vs. Tampa Bay, despite dropping two of three. At times against Boston, they appeared amateurish. This is the roller coaster of emotions that can be found in a rebuilding season when some of the development is taking place before our eyes, instead of in the minors.
“Little things, man, that’s it,” Shoemaker said after allowing three runs over six innings. “It’s an easy argument, it should easily be flipped, our record. But that’s why you have to take it one game at a time, one day at a time.
“This team has so much talent. A great group of guys who play hard together, have fun together. Little things in this game are what count between wins and losses. That’s why today I’m so frustrated at myself because overall I felt good, but I made a couple of mistakes.”
The Jays will now turn their attention to Sahlen Field, where they will open a fivegame homestand against the Marlins and Rays. On paper, the matchup with Miami should present a reprieve, but despite missing over half their roster because of a coronavirus outbreak, the Marlins somehow opened the year with a 7-3 record, which is good enough for first place in the National League East. After the Marlins, another matchup with division rival Tampa Bay looms large.
“We’re close,” Montoyo said.
“One of the main reasons I feel that confident is because our pitching has been that good. And in this league, you win with pitching.
“I believe we’re going to start hitting. When that’s going to happen, I don’t know, but I know we’re going to hit. We got the talent to hit. When that comes, I think we’re going to compete, and we’ll turn it into winning.”
Being close only counts in horseshoes, but considering the circumstances Toronto could be much worse off. Moral victories matter on a young team, but actual wins in the standings mean a lot more. For that to happen, the offence needs to be a lot better. Plain and simple.