jaysblue

Vlad has a solid .280 BA and .372 OBP, but yeah, the lack of power has been abysmal. The funny thing is, one small hot streak where he hits 4-5 homers in a week would make his numbers look a lot better. But as of right now, he’s on pace for the worst offensive season of his career. Vladdy is getting paid to mash, not slap singles around. Hopefully he can have a huge second half, because the Jays really need his bat to come alive.

Given how weak the AL has been, the Jays just need to get on a roll and they can cement themselves in one of the Wild Card spots. And with the Yankees losing Judge long term, plus the possibility of the Rays cooling down, the AL East still isn’t completely out of the question. The Jays would obviously need to go on a big run to put themselves into that conversation, but if they can get within 4-5 games by the beginning of August, that would be a nice position to be in. If they’re sitting in the third Wild Card spot, or only 1-2 games back, and their core guys are relatively healthy, they should probably add. I wouldn’t want them to just keep the status quo. The only way they should sell is if they’re 5+ games back of the final Wild Card spot and dealing with several key injuries, which would make a comeback much harder to pull off. But if they’re still where they are now at the end of July (around 1.5 games back) I think they should add. Standing pat shouldn’t really be an option.

Yeah, with Varland emerging as the closer, Hoffman shouldn’t see the 9th inning again unless it’s an emergency. He’s better suited for the 7th or 8th, which is where he’s had most of his success - especially during his time with the Phillies before signing with the Jays. The Jays don’t need to cut bait with Hoffman. They just need to adjust his role, and I agree they probably waited a bit too long to do it. He can still be a real weapon out of the bullpen in the 7th or 8th inning if he figures things out. So far he's looked good since that huge implosion.

Yeah definitely not as sharp as it was last season. Noticed back in April.

I trust the Blue Jays front office and medical team more than you when it comes to whether Kirk could play or not.

I wonder why the Jays struggled to score runs 😂

Varland and Rogers are both likely unavailable. Might have to turn to Fisher or Miles if it's a save situation.

I need to add a Miz jersey to my collection!

Vladdy career .625 average against Schlitter on the bench (albeit small sample size). Kirk 3 for 3 yesterday and not DHing. I guess easing him in since he just returned and since the Jays likely don't want to use two catchers in the same game.

Has aged like fine wine. One of my favourite hitters!

Scherzer is likely only in line for a handful of starts until Bieber returns. I doubt the Jays are planning to rely on him for the rest of the summer unless more injuries pop up. I’d be interested to see them try Max out of the bullpen. Maybe, in shorter 1–2 inning bursts where he can empty the tank, he could still be an effective weapon in relief. As for Springer, I don’t think they can simply hand him the DH spot anymore. I’d like to see him get some part-time work in the outfield while moving down in the lineup.

I think Brandon Valenzuela has quickly become one of my new favourite Jays. He’s stepped up in a big way with Kirk out and really looks like he could be a key piece of this team long term. Falling behind 0-2 against Duran and then taking the ball the other way for a walk-off single? That’s just awesome! He’s becoming one of the most likeable Jays right now - right up there with Ernie Clement. It’s been really fun to watch Valenzuela emerge this season, and I hope he keeps it going. Honestly, I might need to get a Valenzuela jersey haha.

Nah, especially with the summer months kicking into full swing. A bunch of casual fans already bought up tickets and flex packs, lol. Plus, Torontonians need something to do in the summer, and a Jays game is an easy day or night out - rooftop patios, $20 beers, the whole thing. Maybe in September if the Jays completely fall out of it. But right now, with how weak the AL has been, they’re still only 1.0 game back of the final Wild Card spot and 8.0 games back of the Rays, who have started to struggle a bit themselves. Even with all the Jays’ issues, the season isn’t over by any stretch.

Hopefully he can Hatch on somewhere else soon.

The Dodgers recalled Nick Frasso from Triple-A Oklahoma on Saturday 😂

I did actually. Weird stuff like this happens all the time in baseball, more this season especially than before. As well, 82% of the money wagered and 85% of tickets were backing Atlanta yesterday in Vegas and sports books. A bit fishy, not going to lie. That said, a Jays win is a Jays win, and I'll gladly take it.

I volunteer 🤚

AA has had his fair share of questionable trades and signings too, both in Toronto and Atlanta. Sean Murphy looks like he might be washed now, and trading William Contreras in that deal is looking like a huge mistake. Signing Kim to a one-year, $20M contract has been awful. Mike Yastrzemski signed a two-year, $23M deal with Atlanta this past offseason, and while he’s been alright, that’s still a lot of money for a platoon/4th outfielder. The Profar suspension obviously hurt too, but there’s not much you can really do about that. For the most part, the Braves’ bats have been healthy and productive this season. Olson, Baldwin (before landing on the IL), Albies, and Harris have all been great. Even Dubon has provided value. Acuna is back now after missing some time, though Austin Riley has still been disappointing so far. As for the pitching, Atlanta’s rotation was pretty much depleted, arguably even worse than Toronto’s, but they’ve managed to hold up. Sale has been elite, Strider is healthy again, and guys like Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder have stepped up. The back end of the bullpen has also been lights out with Lee, Suarez, and Iglesias.

The Jays actually look pretty solid when it comes to their corner outfield options. They’ve all been effective in different ways, especially Sanchez, who has shown some pop against RHP, and Pinango stepping up after being called up from the minors. I’ll admit, I was one of Nathan Lukes’ biggest critics, but he’s taken his game to another level since coming back from the IL. He’s proved me wrong. Whether that lasts long term is another story, but right now, his bat absolutely deserves to be in the lineup every day against RHP. I still prefer Sanchez long term, but it’s nice to have both options at the moment, especially with Barger out. Once Barger comes back, though, the issue becomes having too many left-handed bats. The Jays could really use a right-handed platoon bat to pair with one of Sanchez or Lukes. They’re definitely missing Springer’s bat at the top of the lineup, but he may need to sit more often in favour of Lukes or Sanchez starting. And they badly need Vladdy to start hitting like Postseason/WBC Vladdy again. The man needs an 8–10 HR month, haha.

Even on the broadcast, they said the Jays defense has been more "middle of the pack" which shows it hasn't been as sharp as it was last season. Even with the eye test from watching games, this isn't the same team defensively from last season.

Oka-Bomb!

Hoffman needs Christopher Lloyd and his crew coming down to games when he pitches:

Jays should be well rested with yesterday's off day. Hopefully the Jays can take Game 1 of the series!

Steve Phillips was on OverDrive and floated the idea that the Jays might DFA Hoffman, which I thought was wild. I really don’t see it coming down to that. Hoffman was starting to right the ship before that implosion on Saturday, and even if the Jays did move on, some team would definitely roll the dice on him. I like Hoffman, and I still think that if he figures things out and is used properly, he could be a real weapon out of the pen. You can’t ignore those strikeout rates. To me, it feels like a combination of bad luck and something psychological. He just doesn’t look comfortable in the ninth-inning role and honestly, he hasn’t really looked comfortable there dating back to last season. I’d probably feel more confident with Hoffman pitching in a one-run game in the seventh than protecting a four-run lead in the ninth, lol. He did tease us a bit with those two saves on May 21 and 23 when Varland was unavailable. But like Masterbather said, they probably need to employ a different strategy for the time being when it comes to the ninth - maybe using another arm like Fisher, who picked up the save the other day, whenever Varland has already been used or isn’t available. The problem with Hoffman is that when he implodes, he really implodes, and it gets ugly fast. It’s not usually just one or two earned runs - it’s more like four or five earned runs, two or three walks, and maybe a hit-by-pitch thrown in for good measure, haha.

The Pirates activated Mlodzinski from the restricted list Monday, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports. Mlodzinski's stay on the restricted list lasted 24 hours after he expressed frustration following his removal from the Pirates' rotation with the activation of Jared Jones from the injured list this past weekend. Mlodzinski is now putting his feelings aside and said Monday that he's willing to do whatever he can to help the team, as he's now going to come out of the Pittsburgh bullpen. Wouldn't be a bad trade target if the Jays are looking for a SP.