Can the Blue Jays Make the Playoffs and be the October Surprise?
The Blue Jays are 5 games out of getting into the wild card picture. That's considerable ground to make up with 29 games to play. But, there's a chance.
Can the Blue Jays make the playoffs and make a run for the World Series?
Let's rephrase that. Will the Blue Jays make the playoffs and make a run for the World Series?
We're now in the final full month of the 2021 MLB regular season and some division races are still tight. The Blue Jays have no shot to win the AL East. Tampa Bay probably has that spot locked up. However, they are still in contention for a wild card.
No doubt, Toronto plays in a brutally tough division. With the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox all battling it out, that means three teams might make the playoffs from the AL East. Toronto hopes to move up in the standings, crash the party, and knock out either New York or Boston. That's the challenge.
Here's a look at the AL wild card standings as of Saturday:
The Blue Jays are 5 games out of getting into the wild card picture. That's considerable ground to make up with 29 games to play. But, there's a chance.
It all comes down to what happens THIS WEEK. Three games this weekend against the Oakland A's. And four games next week against the New York Yankees. For any realistic chance to jump into the wild card conversation, the Blue Jays need to win 5/7 of those games. The remainder of the road is too short to make up more than a few games.
Toronto is also facing stiff competition from Oakland and Seattle. Both teams are currently ahead of the Blue Jays. That's why it's critical for Toronto to beat up on Oakland in heads-up play.
The gauntlet is real. The Yankees have played great baseball in the second half of the season. The other wild card team (at present) is Boston, which has shown some signs of fading. Unfortunately, Toronto has no games left versus Boston, to they'll need some help.
What really does help the Blue Jays is an easy schedule. In fact, 14 of their remaining 29 games are versus Baltimore and Minnesota. They absolutely must win a majority of those games.
No doubt, the talent is there with the Blue Jays. Not only has the pitching been spectacular at times, Toronto's run-differential is far superior to any team in the wild card race, including the Yankees and Red Sox.
So, with a powerhouse offense and four above-average starting pitchers, Toronto will be a headache for opposing teams down the stretch. They might be just a bit too far back in the race at 5 games to make up, with way too many talented teams ahead of them in the standings. But the Blue Jays do have a shot, assuming they can take care of business this week.
We'll be watching. Let's go Jays!
