ST4: BLUE JAYS (2-10) HOST RED SOX (7-5)

[Steven1562]

Blow it up !

[The_Hater]

Are we #TankNation yet?

I'm pretty much there. We're 6.5 GB+ of three AL East teams, and need to win 59%+ of our remaining games (ie., be about the best team in the AL after playing the first 10% as the worst) just to have a solid shot at the Wild Card. That's tough sledding.

Not impossible but the turnaround needs to start almost immediately. If the Jays were 6.5 out at the allstar break there wouldn't be the same amount of widespread panic. The problem isn't the hole they dug as much as they just might not be all that good.

[Schad]

Are we #TankNation yet?

I'm pretty much there. We're 6.5 GB+ of three AL East teams, and need to win 59%+ of our remaining games (ie., be about the best team in the AL after playing the first 10% as the worst) just to have a solid shot at the Wild Card. That's tough sledding.

Not impossible but the turnaround needs to start almost immediately. If the Jays were 6.5 out at the allstar break there wouldn't be the same amount of widespread panic.

While true, a team really shouldn't be gunning for the playoffs when 6.5 out from the Wild Card at the ASB, either. I mean, the Jays came back from 8 GB to win the division in 2015, but it took a historically great close and they were actually only 3 back of a playoff spot at the beginning.

Further, while 15 games is still a small sample, the available evidence suggests that we're probably not a very good baseball team. The 2015 side was still around .500, and their expected win-loss suggested that they ought to have been much better. Right now, we have the second-worst run differential in the majors...we have been legitimately bad. And while we won't remain this bad, there's a much larger performance gap between 'second-worst team in the majors through 15 games' to 'second-best team in the majors for 147' versus '.500 team that has been playing like a playoff club for half a year' and 'elite team for half a year'.

[Lateral Quicks]

Bautista and Salty: 0-8 with 8 Ks
Bautista, Salty and Barney: 0-12, 11Ks

In a truly devastating sign of the times, our best lineup right now looks like this:

Pillar
Carrera
Morales
Tulo
Smoak
Martin
Pearce
Barney
Goins

Yeah, we're not winning many games with that lineup. The one I'm most disappointed in so far is Travis. I have high hopes he'll be a perennial .300 hitter, but boy is this an ugly start

[Lateral Quicks]

On a positive note, the way Estrada is pitching, he should net at least one very nice prospect at the deadline. Hopefully Happ can return to action soon and do the same.

[EJaggit]

Bautista and Salty: 0-8 with 8 Ks
Bautista, Salty and Barney: 0-12, 11Ks

In a truly devastating sign of the times, our best lineup right now looks like this:

Pillar
Carrera
Morales
Tulo
Smoak
Martin
Pearce
Barney
Goins

Yeah, we're not winning many games with that lineup. The one I'm most disappointed in so far is Travis. I have high hopes he'll be a perennial .300 hitter, but boy is this an ugly start

He's too injury proned. He'd be lucky to hit .250 imo

[johanliebert]

I believe Jose is trying Donaldsons approach to hitting and its not easy.

[Schad]

Yeah, we're not winning many games with that lineup. The one I'm most disappointed in so far is Travis. I have high hopes he'll be a perennial .300 hitter, but boy is this an ugly start

Nothing about Travis' peripherals look like he should be hitting terribly...everything's within normal parameters beyond a lower swing rate on pitches outside the zone (good) and a higher rate of grounders (bad-ish) at a lower exit velocity (bad) and the ball is traveling an average of 80 feet less (definitely bad).

So, I mean, just make more solid contact?

[So_Fresh]

What a waste of a good starting rotation. This team can't hit. Time to look at the coaching staff as the culprit.

What's wrong with Bautista? I'm sure this wasn't the way he wanted to start. He looks awful out there. I would question whether he's giving his all. The fans are getting restless.

Also, that a-hole agent of EE screwed us over. I bet if Edwin was here, it wouldn't be as bad as it is right now.

If 89-90 gets us a wild card this year, we would have to go 87-61 the rest of the way. That's a .588 winning percentage. Not happening folks! Blow it up before the trade deadline on July 31st.

[Schad]

What a waste of a good starting rotation. That a-hole agent of EE screwed us over. I bet if Edwin was here, it wouldn't be as bad as it is right now.

If 89-90 gets us a wild card this year, we would have to go 87-61 the rest of the way. That's a .588 winning percentage. Not happening folks! Blow it up before the trade deadline on July 31st.

Both Smoak and Morales have performed better than Encarnacion thus far, oddly enough.

[BigLeagueChew]

Definitely not as much power there with Travis right now. Fly ball rate is down compared to his last two years and an Iso of .000 in 48 PA's, with a -29 wRC but that was before today.

[So_Fresh]

What a waste of a good starting rotation. That a-hole agent of EE screwed us over. I bet if Edwin was here, it wouldn't be as bad as it is right now.

If 89-90 gets us a wild card this year, we would have to go 87-61 the rest of the way. That's a .588 winning percentage. Not happening folks! Blow it up before the trade deadline on July 31st.

Both Smoak and Morales have performed better than Encarnacion thus far, oddly enough.

I agree. But adding Edwin to this lineup, with Smoak and Morales (signed as our DH) would have been better.

[So_Fresh]

Never mind. Rogers would never spend that kind of money on Edwin, Bautista, Morales for the next 3+ years.

[ldnk]

Go Jays. I think they are better than this.

Aim for a .250 winning percentage.