Toronto Quietly Moving Up in the AL East

The American League East is annually the noisiest division in baseball, and this year the division has been even louder than usual. The Red Sox have their usual angst, the Yankees are in last place, which has somehow made more noise than when they are in first, and the Tampa Bay Rays have gotten everyone’s attention with their hot start. Even the Baltimore Orioles have gotten a little ink by not being as horrible as they usually are.

Lost in all this chatter are the Toronto Blue Jays. The quiet team from the Great White North has won seven out of its last ten to run their record to 29-26, four games out of first place and third in the division behind Boston and Tampa.

The one Blue Jay that has gotten the nation’s attention is Roy Halladay. Halladay has five complete games in 11 starts this season, and has a decision in every start. He also leads the league with 89 innings pitched. But Halladay should be known for more than just finishing games. His 2.93 ERA is 8th in the American League, and his 71 strikeouts leads the league. If Halladay can ever get some help from a weak-hitting lineup, he might win enough games to get some Cy Young attention.

This team is built around its pitching staff, and so far it has responded. The team’s ERA of 3.38 is second in the AL behind the A’s, and its 409 strikeouts leads the League. Backing up Halladay in the starting rotation has been Shaun Marcum, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, and Jesse Litsch. Marcum’s 2.64 ERA is third in the AL, and only Burnett (4.57) has an ERA over four. However, only Litsch at 6-1 has managed to post a record more than two games over .500

Blame that on the Jays’ offense, which is near the bottom in the AL in every statistical category. This is especially true in the power categories. Toronto’s 211 runs is 13th in the AL, ahead of only the Royals, and its 34 home runs is 12th. The team’s slugging percentage of .368 is also 12th. Outfielder Alex Rios leads the team with 26 runs scored and 57 hits, while fellow outfielder Vernon Wells leads the team with 24 RBIs despite playing in only 36 games so far. Matt Stairs leads the team with only six home runs. And this team cut Frank Thomas for what reason exactly?

Unfortunately for the Jays, you have to score runs to compete in the American League, and this team doesn’t have the power to produce. Which is a shame, because the pitching staff, starters and bullpen, has been outstanding. Toronto has spent the last few seasons being close to, but not quite able to, break through the Red Sox-Yankees stranglehold. They may finish ahead of the Yankees, but not because they got any better. Unless the Jays can find a power hitter, it’s going to be another long, cold summer in Canada.