Blue Jays edging closer to .500 mark for first time since late April
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The Toronto Blue Jays are playing their best baseball of the season.
Led by timely hitting and effective pitching, the Blue Jays have won six straight games after a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels at home and taking both games in Monday's doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The opening contest was a resumption of a suspended game from June, meaning the Jays' current win streak is officially five games according to the record books.
Still, the Blue Jays are the hottest team in the American League at the moment.
August is the first month of the 2024 season in which the Jays have played above .500 baseball. Toronto was a season-worst 10 games under .500 on July 25 after being hammered 13-0 by the Tampa Bay Rays. A month later, the Jays are 65-68 and are edging closer to the .500 mark for the first time since April 29.
Toronto Blue Jays: Month by Month Results
| Month | Record | Winning Percentage | Runs Scored | Runs Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 2-2 | .500 | 20 | 17 |
| April | 13-14 | .481 | 90 | 119 |
| May | 12-13 | .480 | 115 | 114 |
| June | 12-16 | .429 | 114 | 137 |
| July | 12-14 | .462 | 114 | 148 |
| August | 14-9 | .609 | 111 | 89 |
The Blue Jays were busy at the trade deadline, selling a slew of veterans including Justin Turner, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Danny Jansen, Kevin Kiermaier, Yimi Garcia and Yusei Kikuchi.
With more playing time available, youngsters including Ernie Clement, Addison Barger, Leo Jimenez, Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner and Bowden Francis, who was three outs away from throwing a no-hitter on Sunday, have all contributed to the team's current hot streak.
Long-time Blue Jays are pulling their weight as well.
After a slow start to the season, Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been heating up on monthly basis, hitting .374 with six home runs and 15 RBIs over 22 games in August alongside a 1.192 OPS. For the season, the 25-year-old first baseman is hitting .321 with 27 homers, 87 RBIs and a .955 OPS.
Despite hitting only .191 in August, 34-year-old George Springer has seen a surge in his power numbers as of late, smacking two longs balls on Monday for 19 on the season.
“I'm just happy to help us there,” Springer said after the game. “It was a big situation. … Our team is still in there fighting. We've got guys (in the clubhouse) fighting.”
Shortstop Bo Bichette, who hasn't played since July 19 with a strained right calf, is working his way back to the lineup as well.
On the mound, Jose Berrios has been one of the best starting pitchers in August, posting a 4-1 record in five starts with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.069 WHIP.
Francis has been even better, posting a 1.32 ERA over four starts, allowing just nine hits and four earned runs in the process.
The Blue Jays' strong play in August has gotten them 1.5 games closer to a Wild Card spot in the American League compared to where they stood at the beginning of the month.
AL Wild Card
The Blue Jays grabbed the third and final Wild Card spot last season after posting 89 wins, meaning they will have to go 24-5 over their final 29 games to reach that mark again.
Toronto sits eight games behind the Minnesota Twins (projected to finish with 88 wins) and 9.5 game behind the Kansas City Royals (projected to finish with 89 wins) for the last two Wild Card spots, also needing to pass the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays in the process.
Here's a look at the Blue Jays' final 29 games which includes 17 games against teams above the .500 mark and six additional contests against clubs currently just one game below .500.
Aug. 27-29: @ Boston Red Sox (67-64)
Aug. 30-Sept. 1: @ Minnesota Twins (72-59)
Sept. 3-4: vs. Philadelphia Phillies (77-54)
Sept. 6-8: @ Atlanta Braves (71-60)
Sept. 9-11: vs. New York Mets (68-63)
Sept. 13-15: vs. St. Louis Cardinals (65-66)
Sept. 17-19: @ Texas Rangers (60-71)
Sept. 20-22: @ Tampa Bay Rays (65-66)
Sept. 23-25: vs. Boston Red Sox (67-64)
Sept. 27-29: vs. Miami Marlins (47-84)
According to FanGraphs, the Blue Jays have a 0.5 per cent chance to make the playoffs, so they can't think about slowing down for the remainder of the season if they want a chance to join the playoff race conversation.
For now, reaching the .500 mark by the weekend is the only goal the Blue Jays should have in mind.