With the league’s best offence the Blue Jays can look like a dominant squad at times, but when the bats cool down things can get ugly.
During the team’s four-game road series in the Windy City they proved unable to score runs at their usual rate when running up against quality pitchers like Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Jeff Samardzija.
When the Blue Jays were able to take leads they could not hold them, coughing up advantages on Monday and Wednesday largely due to suspect defence.
Here are five takeaways from the series loss:
Jeff Samardzija would be a great addition to the Blue Jays: On Thursday afternoon Samardzija delivered the kind of dominant performance that Blue Jays pitchers have rarely provided this season.
The big right-hander pitched a complete-game shutout allowing only four hits and one walk and striking out five batters.
Samardzija brought a 4.33 ERA into the contest, but his peripherals suggest he’s a better pitcher than that. He’s had some bad luck and played in front of a porous defence so far, but his abilities are undeniable.
The Blue Jays may not be interested in a rental pitcher whose contract expires at the end of the season, but if they do go in that direction Samardzija is looking like a great target.
Jose Bautista’s timing is off right now: Bautista was definitely snakebit in Chicago, hitting into two double plays where he might have expected singles, but he also looked off. The right fielder struck out six times in the series and only recorded one hit in 17 trips to the plate.
He was not the only one to blame for the team scoring only 10 runs in four games, but this is not the same offensive team when Bautista isn’t clicking.
Felix Doubront deserves a longer look: In a season where the Blue Jays have struggled to get any consistency from their rotation, Doubront gave them something to think about with an excellent start on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old southpaw allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out six over 6.2 innings and his curveball looked outstanding. He used the hook as his strikeout pitch all night and consistently fooled White Sox hitters like first baseman Adam LaRoche.
Doubront is an interesting reclamation project and so far his success at the triple-A level is translating to the big leagues.
Chris Colabello’s outfield innings need to be limited: Colabello’s bat has undoubtedly been a pleasant surprise for the Blue Jays, but he’s consistently costing them runs with the glove.
Despite posting an excellent .328/.366/.505 line his Wins Above Replacement total is only 0.2 due to his fielding.
According to DRS he’s been 12 runs below average as an outfielder and UZR pegs him at -10.8 runs. This isn’t Colabello’s fault as he’s playing out of position, but an RBI single on Wednesday night really showcased his limitations.
Not only did he let a ball fall in front of him that many outfielders would have caught on the run, the throw was also well offline when a decent toss would have nabbed the lead-footed LaRoche and preserved a two-run lead.
The Blue Jays need to reconsider how they deploy Colabello, even if it means cutting down his at-bats.
Bo Schultz’s role is growing: Schultz didn’t make many headlines when he was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays last October, but he’s an intriguing talent and his role with the team is growing.
The right-hander can dial up his fastball to 97 mph and he’s got a hard cutter sitting at about 91 mph that has helped him stifle hitters so far this year.
Schultz appeared twice in this series, both times in high-leverage spots, and struck out three in two innings without allowing a run. His performance did not go unnoticed by manager John Gibbons.
