Struggling American League East keeps scuffling Toronto Blue Jays in division race
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The Toronto Blue Jays have had a difficult start to the season, with injuries and underperformance leading to a 6-9 record.
The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are tied atop the AL East at 9-7 with the Toronto Blue Jays two and a half games back at 6-9. The Boston Red Sox (6-10) are last after starting 2-8.
With 147 games still to go, the math suggests the Blue Jays are nowhere near out of contention.
ESPN’s Buster Olney agrees and points out that no team in the American League East has separated themselves from the pack early on, either.
Olney joined TSN 1050 Toronto’s First Up Tuesday morning to discuss the unusual landscape of the American League East, and how it benefits the Blue Jays amidst a rough start to the season.
“Man, the landscape of the American League East, there is a lot of that going on. Garrett Crochet giving up 11 earned runs last night for the Red Sox. The Yankees had lost five games in a row. So it’s not as if someone is taking off and hiding from the pack early,” Olney said.
“Jazz Chisholm is off to a slow start, the [Yankees have] had guys in their lineup off to a slow start. Their bullpen has been leaking. I mentioned Garrett Crochet with his struggles last night. Pete Alonso hit a home run yesterday where maybe that’s going to be a breakout for him, but he has struggled early on.”
Olney believes the Blue Jays still have plenty of time on their side to turn things around.
“If you compare it to a marathon, they’re like in mile four right now of a 26-mile run. And maybe the Jays aren’t feeling so good and they’re kind of wondering where they’re going to be, but they’re looking around and the pack is holding together… That is, I think, the one saving grace for the Blue Jays at this point is that you haven’t seen a team just run off.” Olney said.
The Blue Jays begin a nine-game road trip tonight at American Family Field in Milwaukee and will also make stops in Arizona and Los Angeles for a matchup with the Angels.
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