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Make it or break it5/10/2023 On the other, a season-long ERA of 5.39 means a lot of the trust he previously gained has been eroded. ![]() On one hand, 12 quality starts with a ton of strikeouts suggests the stuff is still there. José Berríos has been either very good or very bad this year, rarely anything in between. ![]() It’s the other member of the big three who remains a complete unknown. Questions about his workload aside, the Jays have a fairly good idea what to expect from Manoah and Kevin Gausman every time they get the ball. The biggest wild card in the Jays’ pursuit of the post-season might be their opening day starter. The combo of Anthony Bass and Yimi García might not make or break the regular season unless the standings stay tight, but their ability to protect leads could determine whether the Jays advance beyond the opening round. The numbers look good, yet after witnessing so many late-inning meltdowns over the last two years it’s difficult to trust this group, and bridging the gap to closer Jordan Romano remains the biggest challenge. Prior to Adam Cimber giving up a two-run shot to Andrew Benintendi during Sunday’s series finale in New York, the bullpen had ranked second in the AL with a 2.66 ERA since July 1. The Jays took a lot of heat for not doing enough to upgrade their bullpen at the deadline, but the group has been performing well for the better part of two months. Manoah had a 4.50 ERA since the all-star break prior to limiting the Yankees to a pair of runs across six innings in Sunday’s loss. Instead, they’ll have to buy him an extra day here and there while hoping his six-foot-six frame holds up. The Jays can’t afford to put Manoah on an innings limit because he’s too pivotal to their potential success. The year before, he didn’t pitch in games at all after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the minor-league season. Manoah has already tossed 19 more innings this year than he did all of 2021. Through no fault of his own, Manoah just doesn’t have a large body of work to fall back on, and it’s why his health will have to be closely monitored during the final quarter of the season. The 24-year-old has the look and feel of an ace without much of a track record to back it up. 824 on-base plus slugging percentage, which ranks third on the team, is sorely needed.Īlek Manoah’s overall dominance sometimes makes it easy to forget just how experienced he really is. Springer isn’t going to be 100 per cent until he has a winter to recover, but in the meantime the Jays need to get whatever they can out of his bat. He’s also dealing with an undisclosed elbow injury that may require further attention this off-season. The 32-year-old centre-fielder didn’t start the last three games of a weekend series in New York after fouling a ball off his knee. The concerning part for the Jays is that Springer does not have a clean bill of health, and his situation is unlikely to change before the end of the season. That’s the difference between making the post-season and becoming an afterthought within their own division. Since the start of 2021, the Jays are 99-73 when George Springer plays and 57-53 when he doesn’t. Here are the five storylines that will determine whether the Jays’ season ends in success or failure: With 42 games to go and a three-way tie for the three wild-card spots entering Monday, this year could still go either way. Other times, such as a 4-9 stretch to open the month, the reasons to believe are a lot more difficult to find. In the rotation there are three front-line arms, with an all-star closer to back them up.ĭuring the high moments, like a recent series victory over the New York Yankees, it becomes obvious there are enough pieces to be considered a legitimate World Series contender. On paper, there’s a dynamic lineup littered with big names who could pop off at any moment. The unknown is whether they’ll be able to tap into it for long enough to qualify and make a meaningful run through Major League Baseball’s post-season. The upside of the Blue Jays roster has been apparent for well over a year.
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