Inconsistent Blue Jays are average at best
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The Toronto Blue Jays haven exactly been setting the world on fire in 2025. Their one step forward two steps back type of play has kept them in and around .500 so far this season.
An anemic offense has been taxing on starting pitching and middle relief to keep these games close so far this season. The bullpen has been relatively good (much better than last season) but how much longer can they keep it up in these 1 run games.
The Blue Jays have 12 comeback wins so far this season which suggests that the pitching has given them a chance to win in most games.
Even with the offense failing to bring in more runs, John Schneider remains eternally optimistic that the lineup will eventually gel and put up some big numbers.
It certainly is the narrative being pushed forward by the Blue Jays manager and it's a song based both in legitimacy (from some of the recent performances) and necessity (to keep spirits high in an attempt to keep this wobbly season on the rails).
After a well-played weekend series against the Detroit Tigers that still ended up with more losses than wins, the prevailing exasperation at what is happening remains.
There has been enough good for some legit optimism as well, even if some days it feels like a stretch.
With a 22-24 record, the Jays are almost the definition of mediocrity at this point, and they have shown it in so many ways.
The best record they have had this season is four games above .500, the worst, four games below. Any semblance of a winning streak is usually followed by a skid the other way.
Inconsistency, particularly on offence, continues to be the primary hindrance to moving forward, and last week was a clear example of this. After scoring nine runs in back-to-back games on Sunday and Tuesday, they scored a total of 14 in the next five.
There is a growing sentiment that the team has some late-game grit, which is true as evidenced by their 12 comeback wins thus far. The unfortunate counter to that admirable work is that they are 4-8 in one-run games.
«It's there,» Schneider said on the weekend. «Hopefully it kind of meshes together at some point. It's been a weird (season to date), where it has been one extreme or the other. These guys will figure it out.
«I think it will come together, and when it does, I think it will be a lot less stressful.»
So what about the optimism part?
There was plenty to like about the Blue Jays' effort against the Tigers, who with a 31-16 record has the best mark in the majors.
Schneider's bullpen day strategy on Saturday worked to perfection, for one day at least, allowing observers to ignore that the team is somehow still without a fifth starter. Clutch late-game hits by Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement (with the walk-off game-winner), showed some admirable competitiveness.
On the other hand, had the Tigers not issued an intentional walk to Anthony Santander - the coldest hitter in the Jays lineup - perhaps the Tigers would have swept the series, completely dulling whatever optimism the Blue Jays derived from their efforts.
The other source of positivity stems from the fact that the middling performances by so many teams in the American League have kept the Jays close enough that a hot streak could change the outlook dramatically.
Banking on that is risky business, especially for a team that has lost four of six on this season-long home stand, with the 27-18 San Diego Padres coming to town for three more.
Contrived optimism for a glass half-full view on an off day for the Jays? At least the Padres have dropped their previous three.
SOURCE: Toronto Sun
| POLL | ||
MAI 19 | 123 ANSWERS Inconsistent Blue Jays are average at best What does this team need for the Blue Jays to get over the .500 hump? | ||
| Timely hitting | 13 | 10.6 % |
| Anthony Santander to stop struggling | 17 | 13.8 % |
| Vlad Jr to step it up | 8 | 6.5 % |
| All of the above | 85 | 69.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
