Now, I'm not going to start this column off by claiming that the Blue Jays could have been contenders this season. They never were despite the halcyon days of the now famous 27-14 start to the season.
But when you see the way they've been hitting over their last eight games, you can't help but think about what could have been if the bats hadn't been so inconsistent this season. All you have to do is look at the massive chasm between the way the Blue Jays hit in wins and losses this season.
73 WINS (84 LOSSES)
Average -- .311 (.225)
Runs/game -- 6.9 (3.1)
Hits/game -- 11.1 (7.8)
Home runs -- 127 (66)
RISP -- .320 (.190)
And when you factor in the inordinate number of one-run losses this season (heading into Tuesday night's game at Fenway they are 20-27 in such games) and the sub-.200 average with runners in scoring position, you can see that with just a hit here or there, the Jays would have looked a lot better in the standings.
Let's face facts here, the Blue Jays’ recipe for failure this season had many ingredients and the lack of clutch hitting was just one. Injuries to the starting rotation caused several young arms to be fast-tracked to the majors to make starts before their time. The bullpen lost 29 games while blowing 16 saves and saw its ERA climb by over a run after leading the majors in 2008 with the only ERA under three. And over the final two months of the schedule, the airtight defence sprung many leaks leading to 21 unearned runs over their last 54 games compared to just 30 in the first 103.
In the end, and there's no need to candy-coat this, the 2009 Blue Jays were not even close to being good enough to contend, even with outstanding seasons from Aaron Hill and Adam Lind. The familiar refrain of injuries holding the team back can only go so far. Sub-standard seasons out of Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay and the departed Alex Rios caused the offence to sputter and cough like a '74 Matador. And playing in a division where hitting is a premium, the Jays just never had a legitimate shot.
This one makes sense
Over the weekend, a twitter rumour coming out of Denver had Paul Beeston finally deciding on his successor and the name is ... drum roll please ... Pat Gillick! Now wouldn't that make the cautious ticket buyers sit up and take notice.
And in a separate rumour, the man who would take over as general manager would be Tim Wilken, who was involved with the Jays in several capacities from 1979 thru 2003 but was best known as one of Gillick's top scouts during the franchise's glory years. Since then, Wilken has worked for the Rays and Cubs. On his draft resume while with the Blue Jays are Roy Halladay, Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, Vernon Wells, Michael Young, Orlando Hudson, Reed Johnson and Billy Koch.
An easy team to cheer for
The best team that doesn't reside in the A.L. East continued their impressive string of playoff appearances. The Angels qualified for the post-season for the sixth time in eight seasons. This one was different though, as they played their season with heavy hearts following the sudden death of starting pitcher Nick Adenhart back in April when his car was struck by a drunk driver. Their tribute to their fallen teammate during the celebrations -- a champagne shower of his jersey and celebratory group photo in front of Adenhart's outfield wall mural -- was a nice touch.
Is that all there is?
Monday night's Red Sox starter Michael Bowden was thrust into the role four hours before the game after ace Josh Beckett showed up for work with a sore back and unable to make the start. Bowden was one of the names bandied about while the whole Roy Halladay trade fiasco was swirling at the end of July. But based upon his second career major league start, I didn't see anything that led me to believe that Bowden should be involved if Halladay were to be sent to the Red Sox for a parcel of prospects. In my mind, it's still Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard or don't even make the call.
