Inconsistency has been the name of the game for the Toronto Blue Jays. As soon as it appears things will turn around, we get fooled.
Everyone knows the American League East is one of the hardest divisions to play in. You have the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and last, but of course not least, the Boston Red Sox. It has been a constant mountain climb for the Blue Jays this season. The only problem is they just haven’t seemed able to climb in the standings. Injuries, poor defense, pitching and lack of consistency. These four issues are why the Jays are struggling so much this year. Focusing on pitching, if we look at any team in the American League East, then we know the Red Sox have stellar pitching.
David Price
David Price is pitching well. Reminds me of his Toronto days
— Scott (@TuronnoJays) July 17, 2017
Despite David Price being out most of the season with an injury, he has made 10 starts and has posted a 5-2 record with a 3.39 ERA. I’m sure many fans miss Price when he pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays, as he really helped them get to the playoffs. His pitching has been better of late, and this was seen in last night’s second game against the New York Yankees. Price looked as sharp as he’s been in a while.
He pitched eight innings, allowing seven hits, no runs and no walks while striking out eight. The Red Sox won 3-0. That is the difference between the Jays and Red Sox. The Red Sox can rely on their starters to pitch far into games and allow the runs to just come to them. Ryan Hannable of WEEI Sports Radio Network commented on Price’s improvement this year:
"The left-hander has actually pitched very well this season since returning from an elbow injury. He’s gone at least six innings and allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last five starts."
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Chris Sale
All-Star man Chris Sale is having an amazing 2017 season. He boasts an 11-4 record with a 2.59 ERA and 191 strikeouts. Sale was the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game in consecutive seasons representing two different teams. That’s quite a resume he is building up. He has also passed Roger Clemens for the third-most 10-strikeout games in a season in Red Sox history.
On July 15, Chris Sale had 12 strikeouts in the game, which is the most by a Red Sox lefty against the Yankees in the last 100 years. You honestly can’t compare Sale to the Jays’ pitching, as it is just unfair. But let’s take into account that the Jays’ starting pitching really isn’t all that different compared to the past two seasons.
The problem with the Jays’ pitching
Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada, Francisco Liriano, Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ. Stroman has been the best pitcher for the Jays this year. Estrada the past two years has been a pleasant surprise. And, well, we have expected great potential for Sanchez, but this year we haven’t witnessed too much of it with the injuries. Liriano has been inconsistent but has shown he can pitch well. On paper that rotation seems pretty solid.
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But, of course, issues also lie in the bullpen. So why is it this year they just can’t seem to find their groove? Well, here’s one example. Passive pitching by Lucas Harrell did the Jays in with last night’s 6-5 loss. Why was he nibbling at the corners with bases loaded? He needed to be aggressive. So, folks, does John Gibbons deserve some of the blame with the Blue Jays’ poor play this season, or is it just lackluster pitching from the starters?