Torii Hunter’s assessment of the Toronto Blue Jays was pretty telling. The veteran outfielder said the Blue Jays ‘demolished’ his Minnesota Twins on the way to a four-game sweep.
There’s no question about it: the Blue Jays are among MLB’s hottest teams after an 8-2 homestand that saw GM Alex Anthopoulos trade for Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, among others. They’re now in possession of the second AL Wild Card berth, though they still have their sights set on the AL East.
Now the high-flying Blue Jays have the chance to gain ground in the division at a time they’re arguably playing their best baseball of the year…
Friday, August 7 – 7:05 p.m. ET
R.A. Dickey vs. Nathan Eovaldi
Saturday, August 8 – 1:05 p.m. ET
David Price vs. Ivan Nova
Sunday, August 9 – 1:05 p.m. ET
Marco Estrada vs. Masahiro Tanaka
An encore for Price
David Price delivered exactly what the Blue Jays were hoping for in his first post-trade start, pitching eight innings of one-run ball while striking out 11 in what he described as “the best atmosphere I’ve ever been in.” Realistically the Blue Jays can’t expect that level of dominance every time out, but every start counts — Anthopoulos gave up a lot for the right to have his new ace pitch 12-13 games with Toronto.
For what it’s worth, Price struggled when he faced the Yankees in April, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits in just 2.1 innings.
Waiver magic
The trade deadline passed a week ago, but MLB teams aren’t done dealing just yet. They can still trade players who clear waivers, or work out select deals on claimed players. So what waiver trades might Anthopoulos consider?
My guess: the Blue Jays will keep tabs on starting pitchers in case someone like Yovani Gallardo can be obtained, while also eyeing outfielders. Drew Hutchison’s struggles can’t be overlooked, and Toronto’s carrying just three outfielders now. It’s worth looking at options in both areas in case there’s a depth deal to be made.
Keep in mind that the Yankees are better positioned than most to make waiver trades thanks to a massive payroll that enables them to consider well-compensated players. Maybe the injured Dustin Ackley won’t be New York’s biggest deadline addition, after all.
Lucky 13
One quarter of the Blue Jays’ remaining 52 games will be played against the Yankees, so get used to seeing those pinstripes. Next weekend the Yankees visit Toronto for a three-game series that’s expected to sell out.
Dickey dealing
R.A. Dickey started slowly, but the knuckleballer has been pitching extremely well of late, with a 2.70 ERA since June 1. He has averaged 6.2 innings per start during that span with twice as many strikeouts as walks.
The combination of Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Price and Estrada gives the Blue Jays a stable front four. Now if only they could get some steady production from Hutchison…
Keeping it simple
The Blue Jays seem unstoppable, but with nearly a third of the season remaining, there’s plenty of time remaining for more ups and downs. What needs to happen from here on? Jose Bautista suggests keeping it simple.
“I’m not trying to over-think this,” Bautista said Wednesday. “We’re having fun. We’re showing up. Like I said, we work hard and winning is fun. We’re not going to try to get too philosophical about the whole thing, just continue to do what we’ve been doing.”
