The Hardest Part of the Blue Jays' Season Is Over... Now the Hard Part Is About To Begin

[Leo Morgenstern]

After dropping two of three against the Red Sox in late July, the Blue Jays fell to 10 games below .500. Only three teams in the American League had a worse record. Even the most optimistic of fans must have started wondering if this team had more in common with the Royals, A's, and Angels than the clubs vying for a postseason berth. 

Then, the Jays went on their best run of the season. They won seven consecutive series against the Nationals, Cardinals, Astros, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays. Once again, they looked like real contenders for the AL's final Wild Card spot. 

Unfortunately, Toronto's great run came to an end this past weekend. The Blue Jays lost the series opener to the Yankees on Friday (the first time they lost a series Opener since that Red Sox series in July). Two days later, they lost the series itself. Their pitchers gave up eight runs on Sunday – the most they've allowed in a game since July 28 in Washington – and their bats came up short. After scoring 21 runs in three games against the Rays (at The Trop!), the Jays only drove eight across the plate in their series in the Bronx. 

Toronto Blue Jays Week in Review (August 18-23)

Tuesday, August 18: TOR 10, TBR 5 

• Blue Jays score double-digit runs for the first time in the second half.
• Alejandro Kirk remains red hot with three hits, two runs, and three RBI.
• Kazuma Okamoto breaks the Blue Jays' rookie home run record.

Wednesday, August 19: TBR 7, T0R 6

• Kirk homers for the second day in a row.
• A rough day on defense for Jesús Sánchez.
• A three-hit day for Charles McAdoo

Thursday, August 20: TOR 5, TBR 1 

• Shane Bieber delivers a gem (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 7 K).
• Daz Cameron hits a big home run.
• Nathan Lukes shines with the bat and the glove.

Friday, August 21: NYY 3, TOR 1

• Spencer Arrighetti debuts for Toronto, takes the loss.
• Another big game for Brett Bateman.
• Cam Schlittler earns the win; Blue Jays can't help Dylan Cease's Cy Young case.

Saturday, August 22: TOR 4, NYY 3 

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returns with two hits.
• Cease takes a no-hitter into the seventh.
• Tyler Rogers briefly looks mortal, still earns the hold. 

Sunday, August 23: NYY 8, TOR 3 

• Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty give up inherited runs from José Soriano. 
• Two doubles for Myles Straw. 
• Guerrero goes 0-for-4 with three groundouts.

While the series loss was disappointing, there is a silver lining: The hard part is over. The Blue Jays just played 20 straight games with teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today. They went 12-8. Now, they have 30 games remaining against a much easier slate of opponents.

That includes six matchups with the Royals, three with the A's, and three at home against the Reds to end the season. Teams like the Mariners, Guardians, Orioles, Tigers, and Rangers could pose a bigger threat, but none of them is above .500 right now. To be fair, the Blue Jays are below .500 themselves, but the point stands. Twenty games against the Astros, Phillies, Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays is a gauntlet. What's left should feel like a cakewalk by comparison.

Of course, it's easy to say the Blue Jays should win these games on paper, but they have their work cut out for them. It still feels like almost every series is a must-win. The games against the Royals, A's, and Reds are the gimmes that they can't afford to lose. The rest of the Jays' remaining contests are against opponents they're either trying to fend off or jump ahead of in the Wild Card race. Beating the Mariners, Guardians, Orioles, and Tigers will help the Jays in case the final Wild Card spot comes down to a tiebreaker. Beating the Rangers will be especially important because the Jays have already lost their season series with Texas. 

So, the competition might be easier, but the stakes are so much higher. Hopefully, we'll get to watch some highly exciting – and rewarding – baseball down the stretch.

Toronto Blue Jays Transactions of the Week

• Blue Jays outright Lazaro Estrada and Lenyn Sosa to Triple-A Buffalo.
• Brendan Cellucci selected and subsequently optioned (did not debut).
• Davis Schneider recalled and subsequently optioned (played two innings as a defensive replacement).
• Matt Waldron DFA'd, claimed by Nationals.

Toronto Blue Jays Injury Updates of the Week

• Joe Mantiply began his rehab assignment.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returned from concussion IL.
• Spencer Arrighetti activated, made his Blue Jays debut.
• Josh Smith placed on 10-day IL with left hamstring inflammation.
• Andrés Giménez sat out Yankees series, hoping to avoid IL stint.
• Jameson Taillon is throwing bullpens.
• Trey Yesavage has started playing catch.

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