Tracking Toronto's Turnaround

It’s less than a month into the MLB season and the Blue Jays are bludgeoning opponents. Toronto has been cakewalking through the season and hitting their way to the top of the AL East. They currently stand at 14-7 and for the first time in franchise history, the Jays are winners of three consecutive opening road series. There is cageyness surrounding the spectacular start. The Bluejays began Spring with glorified triple-A talent. If you delve deeper though, the Jays are resounding with professionals.
What prompted Toronto’s turnaround?
For starters, the Jays have the league’s best pitcher, Roy Halladay. Things are clicking for Halladay again this year as the nasty shutdown starter is 4-1. Pitching has been effective and efficient in Toronto but the team is also thriving at the plate and scoring runs rapidly. The Bluejays are winning games in every which way and are averaging 11 hits per game. Toronto is getting production from every starter in the lineup. On Saturday, the Jays clubbed 21 hits in a 14-0 shutout of Chicago. Against the White Sox, the also team set season highs in hits and runs. Pitcher, Brian Tallet, won another quality start, giving up just four hits in a little over five innings. Tall Tallet is a left-handed reliever, but has been filling in for Jesse Litsch. Litsch strained his forearm but should be in rehab by next week and on the mend soon after. Tallet just learned to throw the cutter but his fastball is relatively slow.
Brian Burres and Bryan Bullington are newcomers who have stepped up and succeeded so far on the rubber. Burres pitched in the Orioles organization last year, so he is a somewhat seasoned to AL East hitters. He did not pitch well in his Saturday debut but is filling in for leftty, Ricky Romero. Burres gave up six runs on seven hits but the manager has confidence he knows how to pitch.
Bullington is a relief pitcher who worked the ninth in the blowout win over Chicago. He could turn out to be closer material if Cito Gaston and J.P. Ricciardi decide to remove B.J. Ryan from that role. Ryan was one of the best ninth inning pitchers only a few years ago as an impelled Baltimore Oriole. But his control has been off and he has been plagued by nagging injuries. Ryan doesn’t go for the kill anymore. In his most recent appearance, Ryan couldn’t close out a 7-4 lead against Texas. He hit a batter and walked the next before second baseman, Aaron Hill, botched a routine double play opportunity. The Jays ended up winning the game but B.J. looked brutal. He was not aggressive and made bad pitches to the Rangers lineup. Michael Young’s two-out homerun tied the ballgame at 7. Ryan threw Young a pitch the slugger pulled into the seats. Luckily, Kevin Millar’s one-out single provided the winning run and the Jays rebounded from Ryan’s setback. Ryan was placed on the 15-day DL following the game.
David Purcey started the 8-7 Bluejay win and pitched well after afflicting two troubling and wild starts earlier in the year. David was the team’s first pick in 2004. He throws a sufficient slider to accompany his formula fastball. It seems he is limited to just two pitches and might need to add to his blueprint down the road so hitters will still be stifled. Purcey pitched again last night against the Kansas City Royals. Brian Bannister out-pitched and beat the Jays 7-1 in that game. He gave up one hit and Jose Guillen blasted a pair of homeruns off Purcey as the Royals cruised to victory. The inconsistent Purcey has yet to se the win column and was pulled after five innings. He allowed six runs on eight hits, including three long balls. Miguel Olivo struck the first homer to right-center in the fourth inning. Purcey’s bloated ERA skyrocketed to 7 and he hasn’t pitched more than five innings yet.
Halladay is one of the few major league players who deserves his hefty paycheck. That’s not to say he is perfect. While “Doc” is the decisive ace, he did get tripped up in Texas for his first loss last week. Roy was roughed up and belted around in a 5-4. He allowed a pair of two run homeruns to Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler. Halladay usually displays workmanlike effort but looked gassed in getting juiced by the Rangers.
Scott Richmond, a young righty, is part of the underrated Bluejay rotation. He is the team’s third starter, ahead of Tallet and Burres. Richmond will throw tonight in the second of a four game series against Kansas City. He faces Royals starter, Gil Meche. Richmond is coming off a solid start against Texas where he pitched six innings, allowing two earned runs. He struck out eight batters in the 5-2 victory.
Shaun Marcum is seven months removed from Tommy John surgery and still in the process of healing. Marcum’s slow recovery time shouldn’t be a problem early in the year because Gaston is calling upon reserve pitchers to step up. Right-handed pitcher, Dustin McGowan, is also on the DL. The good news is Casey Janssen could be back in the rotation by May. The righty was derailed during Spring training, but hopes to be a part of the starting five by summer. The Bluejays are missing several important tossers on the mound yet still maintain a winning record. Gaston can’t afford any more losses, and I have great respect for the job he’s done since taking over the team.
Bill Murphy has length from the bullpen as the lofty lefty reliever. Scott Downs was the chosen closer to replace Ryan. He is probably more reliable than either Ryan or Bullington in preserving wins. Scott got his first save in the Jays’ drubbing of Texas Thursday. Downs appeared in 9 of the teams first 17 games. Apparently, Gaston likes what he sees from his new closer, but should utilize the other pitchers in the pen. Brandon League, Shawn Camp and Jason Frasor are available righty relievers, and left-handed specialist, Jesse Carlson, completes the options for Toronto.
Toronto entered last night’s game leading the majors in runs, batting average and slugging percentage. It was rare for them to go 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position Monday night. Their main hitters are Vernon Wells and Adam Lind. Outfielder Wells used to be a devastating power threat but is experiencing slight demise. Still, the veteran is a team leader in every sense of the word. Wells finished a home run shy of the cycle in the White Sox slugfest last weekend. Vernon’s third homerun this season moved him past Jesse Barfield to fourth on the all-time club list.
Lind has three doubles for a career high and is on pace to have a career year at the plate. He is the Jays’ full time DH, a new role for Adam this season. Wells is a demon when on base too, stealing them with no remorse.
Scott Rolen, the defensive genius at third base, is having a rebound, turnaround year similar to his team. Rolen, a selective hitter, had the game winning hit in Sunday’s win with Halladay on the mound at U.S. Cellular. The third baseman snapped a 3-3 tie in the eighth with an RBI single. Rolen’s is a diamond gem. He fields the ball with marked abrasion and a graceful glove.
Aaron Hill is quietly climbed up the majors’ hit chart. He tops the list with 33 and is riding an 11 game hitting streak. Hill has 18 RBIs for the team lead and ranks fifth in the AL in that category. Aaron is coming into his own before our eyes and has emerged as a budding major leaguer.
RF, Alex Rios has yet to really heat up and so has Lyle Overbay. The first baseman was hitting under .200 after his first seven games but has gone on a tear to raise his average above .320 since then. He recorded four multi-hit games in his past five contests. Lyle gets the start against right-handed pitchers, and Kevin Millar swings when lefties are on the hill. The 27 year old Rios is one of the most promising players but is a streaky hitter. Rios and Wells are the face of the franchise as far as position players go. Alex is a speedy runner with a solid stroke. He does need to be more aggressive at the plate instead of taking too many fastballs.
Travis Snider is the Bluejays number one top prospect. He hits for power and average, and at age 21, is going to be in the running for Rookie of the Year if he continues to contribute. Fans will be tipping their cap to the rookie because he’s expected to be a cornerstone player for years to come.
Leadoff hitter, Marco Scutaro, has been the scruffy shortstop with great range. He can make most plays on the field by smothering the ball with swarming digs. The Rogers Centre crowd shows passion for Scutaro. At the plate, he contributes his steady bat and works the count for the Bluejays. John McDonald was slated to be the Bluejays regular at short but has not started yet. He is more of a defensive replacement late in games for Gaston.
Rod Barajas has power and plays behind the plate, with the injured Michael Barrett and Raul Chavez backing him up. Jose Bautista is another infield/outfield utility player to the bench and Travis Snider handles fly balls in spacious left field.
The Jays have six come from behind victories this season. All the position players, except backup McDonald, have hit at least one homerun in 2009. Riccardi seemed to scale back and lay low in the off-season. The team lost A.J. Burnett to free agency but filled his spot with adequate players. The team has a solid competitive core if they can keep up their blemishing ways at the plate. The team has a lot of heart and with Halladay, they are going to win big games. Roy gets a free pass for his first loss because he is such a dominator that guarantees you wins. If the other starters can somehow find the plate with frequency, Toronto will tinker on the edge of the standings this summer. After the stunning Rays a season ago, it’s time to take Toronto’s turnaround seriously.

Parting points: The news of Vernon Wells surpassing Jesse Barfield got me thinking about the outfielder. Barfield was on the Yankees when I was growing up a Bomber backer. The thing I remember most about Jesse was his hair. I have a bunch of his baseball cards with his floppy top sticking out of his cap or helmet.

The Devils and Rangers drop the puck in Game 7’s this evening. Go Devs!

Cranking up The Ramones today. Gotta love punk music.