Funny what a four-game win streak does to change the psyche of a baseball team.
Full credit goes to some of the finest pitching not seen in these parts for many moons,
This was the way most thought the pitching staff would perform after it posted the second lowest ERA in the Majors last season after the all-star break. Since April 26th of this season, the team ERA is a microscopic 1.15 with opponents hitting just .159. The reason for this dominance is quite simple: they pound the strike zone. By not being afraid to pitch to contact, which is what does in many pitchers, the Jays pitchers keep their defence in the game and on their toes.
Led by staff ace - and perennial Cy Young Award candidate - Roy Halladay and his ability to string together complete games, the rotation over this span of games has allowed just 31 hits, 13 walks and four home runs over the past 59 innings. More importantly, the starters are going deep into games, averaging 7 1/3 innings per start and keeping the wear and tear on the bullpen to a minimum. By only being needed for an average of five outs, everyone down in the pen is well rested for when the starters come down off this high, which is inevitable.
This is a good thing because up until this streak the bullpen had started to show some fraying around the edges. With the starters still looking to hit their stride, the bullpen had routinely been entering games in the middle innings. Through the first 25 games, relievers had combined to make 66 appearances. Since the starters got on this roll and won five of the past eight games, the bullpen has gotten the call only 18 times, a less taxing amount of work.
What makes this even more impressive is that the bullpen, whose ERA is just 0.79 over the past eight games, is doing this with their closer B.J. Ryan still not able to pitch on back-to-back days. This has meant that a "bullpen by committee" approach has been needed every other day. This has seen setup relievers Scott Downs and Jesse Carlson being forced to pitch in save situations and so far they have delivered.
For the Jays to stay near the leaders both in their own division and the wild-card race, this trend will need to continue.
TIME TO TRADE ARMS FOR BATS?
One line of thinking is that GM J.P. Ricciardi might have to go outside of the organization to bring in some offensive help. With no one at Triple-A currently scaring anyone at the plate, the trade market might be the only way if the batting continues to be stagnant. To get this, though, he may have to sacrifice some of his pitching, not ideal but likely the only way it will happen. With David Purcey currently dominating with Syracuse (3-2, 1.85 ERA, .178 Opp Avg with 45 strikeouts in 39 innings), perhaps a pitcher on the Major League roster and a prospect or two could be just what it takes to pry slugger Adam Dunn away from the Reds or Josh Hamilton out of Texas.
The argument continues to be that the Jays hitters will, at some point, come out of their funk. But what if they don't? Waiting for them to come around is quite a gamble. Being pro-active might be the best route to take here. I'd hate to think that the Jays might finish just on the outside looking in late September and this could have been avoided earlier in the season. In-season deals are always hard to pull off because in the first week of May, every team still thinks they are in it. But with a little imagination and burning of the phone lines, this offensive downturn could be corrected.
Based on the performance over the past couple of weeks, the Jays have more than enough pitching to pry away a big bat from teams that aren't likely to be in the playoff hunt in the second half. Let's hope Ricciardi finds that team in the near future.
