After taking two of three in Baltimore, the Toronto Blue Jays maintained their lead atop the American League East. At this time last year, the Blue Jays were 1.5 games up in the division. This year, they have a two-game edge on the Boston Red Sox, and sit four up on the Baltimore Orioles.
After a day off, the AL East road trip continues as the Jays face the Tampa Bay Rays. They come into the series winning five of their last six. Here’s what to watch for:
Friday, September 2 – 7:10 p.m.
Marcus Stroman (RHP) vs. Alex Cobb (RHP)
Saturday September 3 – 6:10 p.m.
TBD vs. Chris Archer (RHP)
Sunday, September 4 – 1:10 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD
Starting September
Once again, Toronto is playing meaningful baseball in September largely thanks to starting pitching. Remember when there was concern over the Blue Jays’ ability to compete because they lost David Price in free agency? Quite the opposite has been the case. The Blue Jays and Red Sox have both started to move away from the pack in the division because of their strong pitching of late.
There was also trepidation about the effects of a six-man rotation but the pitching performances have remained strong across the board. Francisco Liriano was brought in as insurance but he has helped to fortify the staff. Since joining the team, he’s 1-1 with a 3.97 ERA in four starts. The left-hander is 2-3 with a 4.93 ERA in his career against Tampa. Liriano will likely take the mound Saturday followed by R.A. Dickey Sunday.
| Best team ERA in August |
|---|
| Chicago Cubs 2.66 |
| Kansas City Royals, 2.71 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates, 3.41 |
| Toronto Blue Jays, 3.63 |
| Detroit Tigers, 3.64 |
| Boston Red Sox, 3.69 |
Rays are for real
Don’t take the Rays lightly. Despite sitting dead last in the AL East, they have taken seven of the thirteen games the two teams have played this year. Tampa was just a game under .500 throughout the month of August while battling a tough schedule.
Cobb comeback
The Rays’ rotation gets a boost with Alex Cobb coming back from Tommy John surgery and taking the ball for the first time since 2014 to start the series. The 28-year-old hurt his elbow in spring training last year, but has posted an ERA under 3.00 in his last two seasons on the mound.
Cobb is remarkably the 12th pitcher to return from Tommy John this season. He’ll be followed by ace Chris Archer on Saturday. Archer fronts a Rays staff that leads the major leagues in ERA since the all-star break.
Uptown returns
Melvin Upton Jr. returns to Tampa for the first time since he left in free agency in 2012, and he’s probably playing his best baseball since the days he wore a Rays uniform. After taking a five-year, $75-million contract, he struggled in his first two years in Atlanta before finding more success upon his trade to the San Diego Padres. Now at the age of 32 with a shot to play a big part on the Blue Jays in the post-season, he comes back to Tampa Bay not too far from the form he showed when he left.
Long-ball Longoria
With Josh Donaldson and Manny Machado in the division, many forget how good Evan Longoria has been at third base. At age 30, Longoria is having one of the best seasons in his great career. His power dipped in 2014 and 2015, only hitting 43 home runs combined over those two years. He’s rediscovered his power stroke this season, already blasting 31 homers, on pace to eclipse his career-high of 33. He leads the offence-starved Rays with 83 RBI while batting .285/.334/.544.
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