Time for the Jays to Step Up or Shut Up
July 11th, 2009 | by jays1992 |
By Paul Bruno
Has the fat lady started to warm up or can the Jays salvage their season?
Even more significant, can the Jays breathe some life into their sagging profile in this city?
Gone are all the good vibes linked to their incredible 27-14 start In fact, yesterday’s impressive 2-0 win in Baltimore actually brought the club back to the .500 level on the season.
With two more games in Baltimore this weekend, the Jays need to make a statement heading into the All Star Break that follows.
They need to get hot right now, to at least propel themselves past a couple of clubs in the tight race for the wildcard (currently held by the Yankees), which they trail by 8 games. Reducing that deficit to 5 games or less by month end would probably be enough to stay in the hunt and, more importantly, prevent a fire sale that would be led off by the dealing of their signature player, Roy Halladay.
Even looking past the formidable righty, there are a lot of pieces to like on this roster. In the infield, Marco Scutaro has clearly emerged as a bona fide leadoff hitter, who has also fielded his shortstop position brilliantly. At second base, Aaron Hill has cemented his reputation among his peers with his All-Star selection. Scott Rolen has turned back the clock with an outstanding year at the plate and his inimitable fielding prowess. Rod Barajas and Lyle Overbay have produced at least as well as expected, too.
Adam Lind has reached the lofty heights of the best left handed hitters in the American League and is knocking on the door for All-Star recognition. Vernon Wells and Alex Rios have admittedly underperformed, but recently they have started to drive the ball and their power numbers have risen accordingly.
The pitching staff was amazing early, in the face of a staggering injury list. But that depth was overcome as many untried arms were pushed out onto the mound and the current slide is directly attributable to the taxing of this beleaguered crew. Still, the Jays can point to some outstanding work from lefties Brian Tallet and Ricky Romero, who have succeeded more often than not and are well-positioned for a lengthy stay in the rotation.
Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are responding well to their new roles at the back of the bullpen. The middle relief is the most glaring weakness as Brandon League and Jesse Carlson have both regressed so far this year, but they were both awesome last year, so it’s too early to give up on them.
Is it too early to give up on the Jays in 2009?
Tags: aaron hill, marco scutaro, scott rolen, toronto blue jays
