The Blue Jays have just gotten swept for the first time this year, which
was not a good outing by any standard, but it’s not like they’re the first team
to get swept this year.
With the Jays off the list now, the only teams in the MLB that haven’t
been swept are the Dodgers, Brewers, and the Cardinals. A sweep is never good,
but making it to the last 2 weeks of June without being swept is something the
Jays can see as promising in the long run.
The series altogether was a huge mess for the Jays, with Buehrle having
the only good start, the bullpen giving up a 6.30 ERA, and the offence only producing
2.6 runs per game.
This has come off a rough month of June for the Jays, where they have gone
8-9, yet have still maintained 1st in the AL East. While every other team
in the east has brought up their level of play (each team .500 or higher in
their last 10), the Jays are surely on pace to drop down to the lower ranks of
the division.
As so many people seem to be saying,
if the Jays really want to remain contenders, they have to do something to
improve the squad. While the offence have been particularly unproductive in the
past few series, things will hopefully pick up soon, and moves wouldn't have to
be made to improve too drastic.
The only player not safe on the
offence is Juan Francisco, who has cooled off a great deal after a stellar May.
Despite the solid numbers from last month, he has never shown that hitting
ability like that before, after being bounced around from the Majors to the
Minors since 2009.
As much as we’d love to see an
emergence of another power hitter similar to Jose Bautista from a few years
ago, miracles like that only happen so often. No one would trade anything
significant for Fransisco, so the only real possibility for him is getting sent
back to the minors.
Pitching is where the Jays need the
most improvement, despite having a combined ERA under 4.00 in the months of May
and June (so far). The Jays current starters of Buehrle, Stroman, Hutchison,
Dickey, and Henriks/Happ are not a world series winning starting rotation. End
of story.
There are lots of rumours going
around of David Price potentially being traded, but what could the Jays give up
to obtain the former Cy Young winner? The only real answer right now is
prospects, as giving up too many starting players with the current MLB team
will create even more serious holes.
If the Jays really want to be world
series contenders for this year, moves must be done, and sacrifices must be
made, however hard it may be to make them. Otherwise, get ready for them to
fall back down the ladder that is the AL East.
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