Achi news desk-
The Toronto Blue Jays began the 2024 regular season aiming for bigger things after crashing out in the wild card series last fall.
The campaign has not gone as planned so far. At 16-19 entering Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia, the Blue Jays were in last place in the American League East and a growing list of pitcher injuries has dimmed hopes for a quick turnaround.
Here’s a look at five stories as Canada’s only major league team approaches the quarter mark of the season (all stats as of Tuesday afternoon).
RELIEF NEEDED
Reliever Yimi Garcia was in dominant form over the first month of the season but a sore back has forced him to watch the action from the bullpen recently.
With fellow high-leverage option Chad Green (shoulder) and long reliever Bowden Francis (forearm) on the injured list, Blue Jays manager John Schneider has had limited relief options in recent days.
Starter Yariel Rodriguez (back) is also on the IL, facing another blow to a pitching staff that has yet to find its footing.
Relievers Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza and Genesis Cabrera have been largely ineffective, putting additional strain on a bullpen that has the worst earned run average in the major leagues at 5.31.
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The Blue Jays made changes during the offseason to try and get their offense going after such a serious year in 2023.
Chief among them was giving bench coach Don Mattingly the additional title of offensive coordinator. His early efforts have yet to bear fruit.
Toronto ranked in the bottom third among the 30 MLB teams in several offensive categories, including batting average (.226), homers (30), slugging percentage (.362) and hits (255).
SCUFFLING STARS
The big names at the core of Toronto’s batting order – with the exception of cleanup hitter Justin Turner – have simply not delivered at the plate so far this season.
The offensive stats for slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., regular spark plug Bo Bichette and leadoff man George Springer are way down from previous years.
Bichette, in particular, is having difficulty getting on track. A career .294 hitter, he is batting just .195 with one homer and an OPS (on-base and slugging) of .530.
The 39-year-old Turner, who signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays during the offseason, is hitting .283 with four homers, 16 RBI and an .833 OPS.
MORE OF THE SAME
Right-hander Alek Manoah made his big league debut over the weekend and looked a lot like the pitcher who couldn’t find his consistency in 2023.
Manoah seemed primed to be the ace for the Blue Jays in 2022 when he was a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award.
However, his game fell off last year and he was demoted to the minor leagues on two occasions. Manoah dealt with a shoulder problem in spring training and built up at Triple-A Buffalo before starting with the Blue Jays on Sunday in an 11-8 loss to Washington.
Manoah allowed six earned runs and four walks over a four-inning appearance. He had six strikeouts.
BRIGHT LIGHT
There are some reasons for optimism despite the early struggles of the Blue Jays.
In addition to Turner’s solid play, right-hander Jose Berrios posted a 1.44 ERA over seven starts, outfielder Daulton Varsho has shown some pop at the plate (six homers, 16 RBIs) and utility man Davis Schneider (. 270 average, 12 RBIs) looks like more than just a flash in the pan.
Although it is still early, the American League East looks like it will be tough again this year. The New York Yankees and the division-leading Baltimore Orioles have a share of the AL lead in wins with 23.
At 25.9 percent, the Blue Jays have the fifth-worst odds of making the postseason among AL teams, per FanGraphs.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on May 7, 2024.
Follow @GregoryStrongCP on X.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
