jaysblue

World Series here we come!

Yeah injuries don't help, but also can't be the only excuse as to why this team isn't performing well. The Jays just need to survive this stretch, meaning staying close to .500 so they don't fall too far behind. I know people point to last seasons slow start, but you can't expect an exact repeat of what took place last season. Reality is others need to step up like Vladdy, Okamoto, Sanchez in terms of some slug, and we need the bullpen to lock down winnable games. Gausman and Cease have both been doing their jobs, heck even Corbin has looked decent in his brief time here. The season is far from over, but got to start winning series and hopefully finish April only 2-3 games below .500 instead of 6-7+ under.

Braves are sitting atop the NL East with a 14-7 record and a +55 run differential which is pretty remarkable since they lost 60% of their rotation to injuries at the start of the year and also lost Profar to a suspension and both Kim and Murphy to the IL.

One plus for today is the pen is well rested and if a save situation arises, they likely look at Varland, Rogers or Fisher.

The bats need to wake up!

This hasn’t just been a rough two-week or one-month stretch. It’s been going on since May of last season. I really think the issue is the closer’s role itself. The Jays need to pull Hoffman out of high-leverage situations for now, let him reset and rebuild some confidence, and then ease him back into a 7th- or 8th-inning role. And if a guy like Varland or Rogers takes hold of the closer’s job, then that’s the way it should be. Hoffman can still be a very valuable reliever and late-inning weapon for this team, but first they need to get him back on track.

You need a new phone.

It's the role and something psychological.

Abreu is really a setup guy, and even at the end of last season, when Hader was out, he didn’t exactly look comfortable in the closer’s role. Munoz wasn’t shaky last year, and Bednar is coming off a 2-WAR season. While Bednar has looked a little shaky at times, he really hasn’t been that bad beyond the high walk rate and 4.15 ERA. The strikeout numbers, FIP, and WAR still suggest he’s been fine overall. Hoffman is the one who looked shaky for pretty much all of last season in the closer’s role, and it’s fair to wonder whether Game 7 last year has had more of a lingering effect than people want to admit. I still think he can be an effective arm for the Jays, just not necessarily in the ninth inning. His 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Phillies show a very different version of the pitcher.

You bring up a good point. Definitely something going on with him mentally right now and maybe Game 7 of the World Series is still lingering in the back of his mind. It might be best to remove him from the closers role for the time being, let him regain some confidence in lower leverage spots and then put him back in a 7th/8th inning role (like he was with the Phillies and where he had his most success) if someone like Varland runs away with the closers job.

It's just bad luck and randomness.

We could use him now!

Both our teams lost today brah!

The strikeout numbers are still there, so I’m not giving up on him long term. I still think he can be an effective arm for the Jays. But right now, I’d take him out of the closer’s role and let him reset in lower-leverage spots for a bit. Let him rebuild some confidence, then transition him back into a 7th- or 8th-inning role, which is where he thrived with the Phillies.

Bryan Abreu is like: "Hold my beer!"

Blue Jays could use Grilli right about now, not Sportsnet haha

Those elite strikeout numbers brah!

And for the most part, his regular season was meh for what he was being paid. Need Postseason and WBC Vladdy to show up during the 162 game season.

Bryan Abreu (one of the top relievers in baseball the last 4 years): 7.1 innings, 12 ER, 4 HR, 13 BB, 12 K's, 14.73 ERA, 12.29 FIP, and a -0.7 fWAR Geez what a mess he has been lol. Maybe moving into the closers role had some sort of impact. I recall even last September when he was filling in for Hader, he struggled and blew a couple of saves.

I miss the days of Bruce Tallet. He was the best lefty slop-throwing swing man we had.

Springer - Given his age and injury history, expecting him to repeat his surreal 2025 season was always going to be a big ask. Barger - We definitely miss his power potential. He’s the kind of bat who can get hot for a long stretch and genuinely change a lineup. Kirk - Biggest loss of all, in my opinion. You’re losing not only a solid bat in the lineup, but also a rock-solid catcher behind the plate in terms of receiving, blocking, and controlling the running game. Bieber - We expected him to be out for a couple of weeks. Yesavage - We knew he was likely going to miss the start of the season, but hopefully he’s back by the end of the month. Scherzer - Honestly, who cares at this point. It’s unfortunate because he had a great spring, and you thought he might still give them something useful, but he looks completely finished. Ponce - It would’ve been nice to see what he could have done in the rotation, but his loss wasn’t nearly as significant, and the Jays had enough depth to absorb an injury like that. Berríos - He wasn’t part of the Opening Day plans to begin with, but they could definitely use his innings at the back end. Yimi - He should be back soon, and that’ll add some much-needed swing-and-miss stuff to the bullpen. Despite all the injuries, this team still should have played better and come away with better results. Injuries are part of the game, and the Jays supposedly had the depth to withstand this kind of stretch - something everyone was praising at the start of the season. They just need to hover around .500 by the end of the month, and once some of these guys start coming back, they should be in a position to go on a run. The main thing is not digging themselves into too big of a hole. Injuries matter, no question, but they can’t be the excuse for everything.

Me and Spanky are planning a Pittsburgh road trip this summer!

Take a 30 minute nap before and you'll be fine!

Saving up my waiver for him in the LOD.