The Toronto Blue Jays: They Are Who We Thought They Were

Logan on 05 22, 2009

Another night, ANOTHER Blue Jay loss at the hands of the Boston Red Sox.

Earlier this year I wrote about the Blue Jays and the fact that they had not proven themselves to me by beating the rest of the AL East. I believe I pointed out the fact that they would run into the Yankees and Red Sox multiple times towards the end of the month of May, and that if they were still at the top of the league I would give them credit. Well, they are still 1 ½ games above the Boston Red Sox, so I suppose some credit is due…however, before Toronto fans get to excited about their 27-16 start, I think there’s some important things to point out:

As I said, to be the best you have to beat the best….or at least compete with the best. The Jays are now a combined 1-4 against the Yankees and Red Sox, the teams they will need to go through to punch their ticket to October baseball. Tallet looked good against Boston Tuesday night, but he was ultimately out-dueled by “senior citizen” Tim Wakefield. The Blue Jays were then shut down by Brad Penny the following night, losing 8-3.

The Yankees and Red Sox are starting to show signs of life, not a good sign for the first place Jays. With A-Rod back in the lineup, Mark Teixeira’s bat has never been hotter. Even Damon and the rest of the Yankee lineup have seen an increase in production. Sabathia is starting to pitch respectably, and overall the Bronx Bombers are on a tear winning their last 8 games as of May 21st. As for the Red Sox, not only are they coming off of two straight wins at the hands of the Jays, but they’re struggling stars are also starting to look normal again. Varitek and Ortiz both went deep in Wednesday night’s game, in fact Tek’ did twice. Jason Bay continued his hot streak, and Brad Penny added another quality start. Kevin Youkilis made his return to the lineup a successful one contributing three hits, and with Dice-K coming back to oppose the Mets in the first game of that upcoming series, it seems the Red Sox are getting along just fine as they continue to get healthier.

The Rays will inevitably turn it around, which is yet another reason for the Jays to worry as they have yet to even play the dangerous defending AL champs.

The month of May will finish up with 7 more road games before the Jays return to the Rogers Centre to again face the Red Sox. If the Blue Jays want to be considered serious contenders for a World Series title, or even the AL East crown, they are going to have to start gaining some respect from around the league (being 1-4 against the Yankees and Red Sox isn’t the best way to start). If the season ended today, the Jays would be nothing more than an overachieving team taking a playoff spot away from a more talented club such as the Yankees, Rays or the Twins to name a few.

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