Blue Jays Flying High!
Did you know the Beatles wrote and recorded a song about Blue Jays?
Okay, so it wasn't about the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a street in Los Angeles, called "Blue Jay Way." This lesser-known track was recorded in late 1967 at the height of rock's psychedelic period.
Still, let's have a listen:
Now, to baseball, gambling, and the hottest team in the majors!
Toronto has won 11 of 12 games (and 14 of 16). They've made up five games this past week in the standings and are suddenly the hottest team in the majors, with a Wild Card entry if the season ended today. Will the Blue Jays' red-hot streak continue?
Ten days ago, we saw it coming.
Here at POINSTSPREADS.CA, we noted the Toronto Blue Jays were 5 games back in the stacked American League wild card race.
As strongly as we rooted for Canada's favourite baseball team, we knew the chances were at best a longshot to make the playoffs.
We noted that Blue Jays had to play at the top of their game and beat up on the Oakland A's and the New York Yankees last week to have any shot of making the playoffs. Well, that was then, and this is now!
Since that column appeared (READ IT HERE) Toronto has won 11/12 games. In their last three games, Toronto has exploded for 44 runs!
Oh yes, this has been a wonderful September for Toronto baseball fans – and an even better time for their bettors and backers.
Here's a look at the AL wild card standings as of Tuesday:
We're now into the final full month of the 2021 MLB regular season.
The Blue Jays won't win the AL East, of course. Tampa Bay has that spot locked up, especially given how well they are playing right now (9 games up, with only a few weeks left to play). It's the wild card, or nothing.
The Blue Jays play two solid teams and two bad teams the rest of the way. They face the Tampa Bay Rays six games, and the New York Yankees three games. Obviously, they need to beat the Yankees head-up to widen the gap in the race. The Yankees are just one game behind the Blue Jays in the wild card race. Last week, Toronto pulled off a sweep of the Yankees in New York. That was magical. But the Jays still need a little more magic.
What really helps the Blue Jays the rest of the way is ten games versus Minnesota and Baltimore, both teams with losing records (especially the Orioles, who own the worst record in the majors). They absolutely must win a majority of those games. So, the stage is perfectly set. The Blue Jays are in control of their own destiny.
No doubt, all the talent needed to make the playoffs and then make an even deeper run is there with the Blue Jays. Not only has the pitching been spectacular, at times, Toronto's run-differential is far superior to any other team in the wild card race, including the Yankees and Red Sox. They're now at +167, which is third best in the A.L.
So, with a powerhouse offense good pitching, and playing plenty of confidence, Toronto has suddenly become the team to beat. They're no longer a dark horse.
The Blue Jays are contenders. It's been a great September in Toronto!
