John Gibbons has spoken many times about the importance of getting off to a good start. The Toronto Blue Jays manager has explained that a winning April can set the tone for a team hoping to stay relevant all year in MLB’s most competitive division.
A strong start means the Blue Jays won’t have to count on a late-season surge to compete, and that’d be nice for Gibbons, since whatever you think of his team, you probably don’t have it pegged as the kind of club likely to make up 10 or 15 games after the All-Star break. Not as long as they play in the American League East and rely on a pitching staff with significant question marks.
After a week spent facing a number of the AL’s best pitchers, the Blue Jays are 3-4. Considering they were up against the likes of David Price, Chris Archer and Masahiro Tanaka, that’s not bad.
Within a couple of weeks, Toronto’s record could look much better. They host the Houston Astros tonight, and anything less than a series win against a franchise coming off of three consecutive 100-loss seasons would be a disappointment.
After hosting Houston, the Blue Jays play three games in Baltimore before heading to Minneapolis, where they face the Twins for another three-game series. Minnesota is coming off a 96-loss season, which means the Blue Jays will have another chance to make up ground against a relatively weak opponent.
Gibbons often points out that any team can beat you in this league, and it won’t do the Blue Jays any good to assume they’re going to sweep Houston and Minnesota. But in the next two weeks or so, they can beat up on some relatively weak opponents and accomplish their goal of gaining ground in the standings early.