TORONTO — There’s a whole lot more going right than wrong for the Toronto Blue Jays these days.
With 29 games remaining, the Blue Jays know a long-awaited playoff berth is within reach. If they can come close to replicating their recent play from here on, they’ll be just fine.
“We’ve been doing this for a while now. Who’s to say we can’t keep doing it,” starter R.A. Dickey said. “Why not? That’s the question I ask. Why not?”
Wear and tear would be one reason, but while players feel the toll of a long season, they are prepared to keep pushing for the home stretch.
“It does take its toll, but at the same time these guys are prepared for that and they’re hungry,” Dickey said. “They’re all hungry in here to get to that next place and so I would not doubt that we’re going to have the same type of intensity the rest of the month.”
The Blue Jays have played their best baseball of the season of late, winning 26 of their last 32 games to take a 1.5 game lead in the American League East. Even if they slow down and finish 14-15, they’ll win 90 games for the first time since 1993.
Still, teams like the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox have endured September collapses in recent years, so it’d be reckless to assume the Blue Jays’ 22-year playoff drought is over already. What could go wrong? Injuries have the potential to weaken any contender, the Blue Jays included.
“At this moment, you hope they all hold up, that we don’t get a key injury along the way,” manager John Gibbons said. “The pitchers are getting to that point now where they’ve logged a lot of innings, starters and relievers. You hope they don’t run out of gas.”
The Blue Jays recently pushed Mark Buehrle’s start back by a day as a way of providing additional rest for the left-hander, who recently acknowledged he’s banged up physically. Marcus Stroman impressed in his first rehab start of the season, but hurdles remain for the right-hander, who’s still just six months removed from a torn ACL. Toronto’s rotation also includes Dickey, the American League’s oldest starter and Drew Hutchison, who has struggled for most of the season, but the group has been pitching tremendously of late with a 3.12 ERA in the second half.
As for the lineup, Edwin Encarnacion and Russell Martin appear to be trending in the right direction after battling injuries earlier in the season. Barring an unexpected setback or injury, the Blue Jays’ position player core remains as imposing as ever if somewhat battered.
There’s also the chance that some of Toronto’s breakout performers regress, but even if the likes of Ryan Goins, Chris Colabello and Kevin Pillar slow down there’s still more than enough talent in place, particularly on offence.
“It’s not like there’s a hole in the lineup, ” Gibbons said. “That hasn’t been an issue in a while. Really in some spots all year.”
From here on that means playing while physically tired and beat up. To take one example, third baseman Josh Donaldson has played in 131 of 133 games, bringing a daily intensity.
“I expect that from my teammates, too. I think for the most part they do that and there’s been times this year (with) myself or somebody else and that hasn’t happened and we’ve had a discussion about it because we expect that,” Donaldson said. “We expect to go out there and we expect to play with intensity and play smart.”
That’s been happening a lot of late, giving the Blue Jays a small but welcome buffer, even as the New York Yankees continue winning. Winning the AL East remains far more appealing than taking a Wild Card spot, but that 1.5 game lead lessens the need for scoreboard watching.
“You look at it. They’re playing well,” Donaldson said. “At the same time we control our own destiny so what they do really doesn’t matter.”
Last year this time Donaldson’s Athletics were 78-55, but they finished 10-19, limping into the playoffs as a Wild Card team while the Los Angeles Angels won the AL West. No contender has guarantees just yet.
Even so, the Blue Jays are as well-positioned as any team this side of the Kansas City Royals or St. Louis Cardinals. If their health holds up, it’d be a surprise if the 29 remaining regular season contests are the last games they play this year.
