TORONTO — A common refrain surrounding last year’s Toronto Blue Jays team went something like this: The pieces are all here, we just need to start clicking at the same time. In the end, it wasn’t a group that ever reached its full potential, but the feeling of possibility lingered deep into the season.
A year later, it’s clear the pitching staff can still be elite, and a stellar start from Chris Bassitt in the series finale against the Kansas City Royals reinforced as much Wednesday. But after a 6-1 loss in which the Blue Jays combined for just four hits, the Blue Jays’ lineup is struggling badly — and staying the course no longer seems like a certain recipe for the required results.
Entering play Wednesday, just two teams were scoring fewer runs per game than the Blue Jays: the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox. After their latest loss, the 15-17 Blue Jays are now averaging just 3.47 runs per game, and they’ve scored three runs or fewer in 18 of their 32 games.
As good as their pitching staff can be, it’s simply not enough offence to compete, and while more substantive changes aren’t easy to execute mid-season, some smaller adjustments are worth considering as the Blue Jays head out for a road trip against the Nationals and Phillies.
For instance, is it time to bump George Springer from the leadoff spot for someone like Justin Turner after an opening stretch where Springer has batted just .212 with a .617 OPS? Or is it time to give Spencer Horwitz a look at the MLB level given that the 26-year-old has a .942 OPS at triple-A?
Now granted, the Blue Jays should start to score more once their numbers with runners in scoring position normalize (remember that storyline from last year?). By wRC+, the Blue Jays are below average offensively, not abysmal, and that’s worth keeping in mind. But regardless, it hasn’t been good enough, with a Danny Jansen solo home run the lone highlight in this one.
Because of the Blue Jays’ offensive struggles, some strong work from their pitchers has been overshadowed. Bassitt, for instance, delivered a quality start Wednesday, holding Kansas City to three runs in six innings, but the Royals still won easily, beating the Blue Jays for the fifth time in their seven matchups since last week.
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With Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi atop their rotation plus the likes of Yimi García and Jordan Romano in the bullpen, the Blue Jays legitimately do have enough pitching to win in October. At this point, though, their hitters are lagging so far behind that standard that even climbing above .500 has proven to be a challenge. Reaching the playoffs is far from a guarantee.
This weekend the Blue Jays may get further pitching in D.C., as Alek Manoah struck out 12 in an encouraging triple-A start Tuesday and remains under consideration for a weekend assignment at the MLB level.
“Very encouraging,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “When we’re talking about ‘What do we want to see from Alek?’ it was that. It’s just being effective and efficient. His stuff is in a good spot. He pitched really well and it was a pretty decent lineup he was going against, too.”
That decision will likely be finalized in the next 24 hours and announced Friday once the Blue Jays begin their series against the Nationals. But finding answers to what ails the Blue Jays’ offence is proving to be far more problematic.
