We all know this but many forget some times. I do, sometimes until this point of the playoffs when you see good offenses like Boston and St. Louis getting reduced to 2-3 hit one run performances so often. These last two playoff rounds have reminded us that killer starting pitching trumps everything else. Yes you can break out with a bunch of runs here and there. But not very often.
Just about every game in the LCS and WS you're facing a Cy Young caliber ace. Every night it's a Verlander, Bucholz, Kershaw, Greinke, Scherzer, Wainwright, Sabbathia, etc. It's no coincidence that all 4 remaining teams each have 2-3 top notch starting pitchers.
The Jays don't have any guys like that. We thought maybe Dickey Johnson and Morrow could be that good but guess what. It's not happening.
It's depressing when you look at the roster and the thread about it. We're agonizing over upgrades to defense and hitting, and hoping for another #2 caliber pitcher. AA himself has even said "maybe you can get it done with 5 number 2's"
Well, as far as I can tell, with 5 number 2's you can win 85-90 games. As long as your offense is really good. You can squeak in to the playoffs. You might even win a 5 game division series. But to ask any more than that of an ace-less team is asking too much. Just ask Oakland and Pittsburg or any number of other teams that just aren't quite good enough.
We need serious upgrades to the rotation or this team will never get over the top.