It’s time to hit the panic button.
I know what you’re going to say: I’m a downer. It’s early. It’s a small sample size. It’s only April. This team has the ability to get hot at any time.
Maybe.
Then again, maybe not.
Consider that the Blue Jays are, as of Saturday night, eight games behind the red-hot Red Sox. Those Red Sox are playing the Houston Astros, a bona fide Triple-A club that exists purely so other teams can say, “Well, at least we aren’t the Astros.”
The Sox will most likely sweep the Astros, while the Jays, comfortably in the basement in almost all offensive categories, take on the Yankees.
The Jays still have yet to face Andy Pettitte during this trip. Note that while the Jays are struggling against all pitchers at the moment, they have been dominated by lefties, batting .192/.222/.269/.491.
If the Jays get swept by the Yankees, that puts them nine games behind the sweeping Red Sox.
Nine games in the AL East is a major deficit. It would mean Toronto has to play 23 games above .500 to win the 90 or so games needed to clinch the division, or have a shot at a Wild Card situation.
And really, forget about the Wild Card, since it will most likely be handed to a team that gets to beat on the Mariners and Astros in the AL West.
Now, consider that those red-hot Red Sox come to Toronto next week and will feature talented lefties Jon Lester and Felix Doubront (and Clay Bucholz, who isn’t left-handed, but might as well be as he’s carving up the league).
Also consider that the Jays leader in OBP, Adam Lind, typically gets platooned against strong lefty opponents, while Colby Rasmus, one of the team’s leaders in slugging and OPS, is essentially an out versus lefties.
Oh, and it gets worse.
Toronto will get a break from things when they match up against the Mariners, but then it’s four against the Rays (Matt Moore and David Price are super nasty lefties, in case you live under a rock) and then off to face the Red Sox again at Fenway.
It’s not a matter of whether or not the Blue Jays can get hot and turn things around. It’s that THEY MUST get hot and turn things around, right now, in a less than favourable situation with cold bats.
I’m not saying the Blue Jays don’t have a chance, I’m just saying it’s a bad one. Panic, to me, means you still have a chance, just a bad one.
Therefore, panic.