The Toronto Blue Jays have not had a good start to their 2024 season. That may even be an understatement. The Jays are 29-32 entering today’s game and currently sit last in the AL East division standings. Toronto is 15-15 at home and 14-17 away from Rogers Centre.
They trail the New York Yankees by 14 games and are four games back of the third AL Wild Card spot.
While there are plenty of issues elsewhere, the Blue Jays starting pitchers have found some success this season.
The Jays are not the best defending team in the MLB (although they have some strong players) but compared to their offence, their middle-of-the-pack stats look pretty good.
On the offensive side, Toronto has only recorded 474 hits (22nd), 228 runs batted in (RBI) (24th), and holds a batting average of .234 (24th). At times, it has felt like pulling teeth just trying to score a run.
Jays shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa spoke about this lack of parity on Wednesday, “Our starting pitchers have done an amazing job, and we have not been giving them the runs that they deserve or they should be getting.”
Kiner-Falefa has been solid for the Blue Jays this season. In 61 games, he ranks second on the team with 49 hits and has 20 RBIs and four home runs. He also brings a load of experience, with 710 career games with the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Blue Jays. Maybe his bat will be what finally awakens this Jays offence.
One big issue for the Jays this season has been how they start at the plate. After today’s contest against the Orioles, Toronto’s streak of not scoring a run in the first inning stands at 28 straight games. The MLB record is 31 games and it’s certainly not a record that you want to be near or close to breaking. While the club is on pace to split the series with Baltimore, the Jays are still in a bit of a hole that they will need to climb out of if they want to compete for a spot in the postseason later this season.
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