The Blue Jays have their fate in their hands

By winning their streak against the Baltimore Orioles this week, the Toronto Blue Jays gave themselves the breathing room they needed in their pursuit of the American playoffs.

With four weeks to play, the Jays are in complete control of their destiny.

Securing one of the three seats that give access to Fourth As seems to have been acquired by the Blue Jays. Home advantage in this first series is still possible. They still have a slim chance of finishing first in the East.

The Jays begin a three-game streak against the Texas Rangers on Friday, before returning to Rogers Center for an important eight-game season against section opponents.

With a 76-60 record and the wind in their sails thanks to a good stay abroad, the Blue Jays look in a good position to enter the stretch.

eastern branch

Six of the Jays’ last eight series will be played against clubs in the American East. Next week, an important five-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays will be followed by another three-game series against the Orioles.

Going into Thursday’s games, the Inactive Jays were half a game behind the Seattle Mariners for first place in the first round of the playoffs, as well as a game and a half behind the Rays. The division-leading New York Yankees are five games ahead of the Rays and six and a half games ahead of the Jays.

In the race for the Fourth Ace, the Toronto team is four and a half games ahead of the Orioles and seven and a half ahead of the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.

Under the new playoff format, two sets for Fourth Ace will be played. The two leaders of the sections with the best records benefit from a pass. The one with the third record will face the team ranked third in the Fourth Ace ranking. Teams ranked 4th and 5th will face each other in the best-of-three series.

Pair of Aces

Starters Alek Manoah (14-7, 2.42 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (11-9, 3.12) kept the Blue Jays midway through the playoff run.

Ross Stripling (7-4, 3.03) has also been very reliable since replacing Hyun-Jin Ryu in the rotation, but has only reached the seventh inning in two of his 19 matches.

Jose Berrios (10-5, 5.23) has been inconsistent this season, however, and fifth in this rotation – previously held by reliever Yusei Kikuchi and recently traded at AAA level Mitch White – can be filled with openers or relievers depending on the opponent. .

effective succession

The return of southpaw Tim Mayza after two weeks of injury last month helped stabilize relief, led by late game specialist Jordan Romano.

Yimi Garcia and Anthony Bass, acquired on the trade deadline, proved to be strong options, while Adam Cimber gave the Jays plenty of innings with 63 outs.

Julian Merryweather, which features an explosive rapids, may be used more frequently in the coming weeks. Nate Pearson remains an intriguing asset as he recovers from minor league injuries.

The Schneider seal

John Schneider hasn’t been afraid to show his colors since being named interim head coach following Charlie Montoyo’s sacking.

The Jays have been more aggressive on the trail under Schneider, who has constantly changed his offensive role. Schneider also demanded longer rides from Romano than his predecessor.

Romano, who shares the American lead with 31 defenders, has worked more than a set just once under Montoyo this season. Under Schneider, the number 1 reliever made four saves from four outs and twice was called to throw two full innings.

Schneider is 30-18 (0.625) in his new role. Montoyo walked away with a record of 46-42 (.523) in 2022.

good posture

Expectations were high before the start of the season, when the team was one of the favorites to win the World Series.

An April 14-8, however, was followed by four months of mixed results. However, wins in eight of their last 10 games have revived hopes.

The Jays have 26 games to play, including nine against the Rays, six against the Orioles and three against the Yankees and Boston Red Sox.