MLB: Three Teams Already Flirting With the Panic Button

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Apr 7, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Francisco Liriano (45) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports. MLB. /

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Birds are off to a 2-9 start, holding the worst record in MLB. They have struggled in every part of the game. A combination of a 4.33 starter’s ERA and a .199 team batting average make it very difficult to win ballgames. Bright spots have been few and far between for the Blue Jays; however, per the theme of this article, there is plenty of time to turn things around. Unfortunately, there is no clear indication of where the upturn will come from.

The backbone of this Toronto team was expected to be the starting rotation. If there was any uncertainty regarding the starting staff, it was directed to the unknown as to who would step up as the team’s ace. Despite the overall struggles, that specific concern has already been addressed through the early dominance of Marcus Stroman. Aaron Sanchez got roughed up by a the Orioles Friday night, but he certainly has ace like qualities as well.

It’s the rest of the rotation that is lost. J.A. Happ may be a quality fantasy player (17 strikeouts in 2 starts), but his 5.40 ERA and .280 BAA is far from inspiring. Marco Estrada has followed suit, posting a 5.73 ERA and tossing only 11 innings in his first two starts. Estrada did salvage his slow start with a great one against the Orioles Saturday afternoon. Worst of all, Francisco Liriano has a 9.00 ERA in only seven innings covering two starts. He’s walked six batters and has a BAA of .286.

All three pitchers have held their own throughout their career and are following up on good seasons. That being said, they must pitch considerably better if Toronto wants to steer in the right direction. Stroman and Sanchez can carry some of the weight, however, winning two out of every five games will not get Toronto to the playoffs, it will get them to draft lottery.

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Believe it or not, starting pitching has not been Toronto’s primary detractor. That award goes to their offense. We knew the loss of Edwin Encarnacion would hurt, but who would’ve thought it would be this noticeable. The Jays have only two players currently hitting over .200–one is injured, and the other has played in only five games. They are on pace to knock 12 home runs this April after hitting 29 homers in April of 2016. The supreme struggles of two of their middle of the order bats has crippled this offense. Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .216 with a OBP of .250; Jose Bautista is slashing .135/.250/.189. Bautista isn’t exactly fulfilling his role with a .189 slugging percentage out of the cleanup spot.

The Toronto Blue Jays find themselves behind the eight ball already. Plenty of time remains for the Jays to get their act together, but panic is justified. Frankly, they play in the wrong division if their plan is to slowly crawl their way to the top.

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