Jays vs. Yankees The Biggest Series In Over Twenty Years

      The last time there was a series this important to the Toronto Blue Jays, there was no internet. There were no mobile phones and no DVD players. Infamously, that series ended with Joe Carter prancing around the bases throwing his arms in the air as the Jays secured their second world series title in as many years. It's been a long time coming to say the least.

     The Jays enter this series with a record of 79-60 with a 1.5 game lead on their division rival, the New York Yankees. While these two teams have been jockeying for the division lead for the better part of the last month and a half, the Jays find themselves atop the division for quite the long time considering they were barely squeaking past .500 before the additions of Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. The next 4 games for both these clubs will be a major impact to the post-season picture. If one team runs away with this series, we could see our definitive leader in the division heading into the post-season. And without a doubt, both teams will be firing on all cylinders in the Bronx.

     The first game of the series has been rained out, they have rescheduled Thursday night's contest to Saturday, which will be the second of a double-header that will begin at 1:05pm local time. Friday night's game is still penciled in at the original time, with David Price set to take the hill against Yankees rookie Luis Severino. It is crucial that the Jays come out of the gates strong and get the momentum rolling early in this series after they were taken care of easily at the hands of the basement-dwelling Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park this week. If the Jays can't turn a new leaf and move on from the Boston series, the Jays could be orchestrating their own demise. The Jays are 5.5 games up on the wild card spot if that's where they're headed, and these two teams do meet again in two weeks time for a three-game set, but the time is now for the Jays to put their best foot forward against the Yankees. This series comes at a particularly bad time for the Jays due to their lack of success as of late, but that being said it could also be a huge confidence booster for the club.

     In the eyes of the Blue Birds, a split of the series is not an option. To keep the Yankees that close with a series to go will come back to bite you. Luckily, the final series between the Yankees and Jays is in Toronto, but you don't want to take any chances with a team like the Bronx Bombers. If the Jays can take 3 of 4 in New York, that would put them 4.5 up on the Yankees with just 20 games remaining. If the Jays drop 3 of 4, they find themselves with a big obstacle to overcome down the final stretch: keeping up with the Yankees when they aren't playing eachother and then pretty much sweeping the Yankees in their final three game series. This is a must-win scenario for the Jays if they want to win the AL East.

     The stage is set for one exciting series with plenty on the line, especially when one team hasn't played post-season baseball in over twenty years. This Yankees/Jays series is without a doubt the most important series for the Blue Birds since they took on the Phillies in the 1993 World Series. Make sure you're watching, as this Blue Jays' squad looks to make history.

The Bulldog Comes Up Big

     After a close 4-2 victory last night, the Toronto Blue Jays got another quality performance from their starting pitcher in a characteristic 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, putting the team over.500 for the first time since Carlos Delgado's departure (kidding). Mark Buehrle froze the Tampa Bay Rays' batters numerous times, striking out 9 of his 11 victims while the bat lay on their shoulders. Jose Bautista hit his first bomb of the season, and the Blue Jays played a rock solid defensive game behind a stellar pitching performance. Unlike the season opener, this was a game that the Blue Jays want to remember.

     The MVP for the Blue Jays was without a doubt their starting pitcher, Mark Buehrle. Buehrle went 8 and 2/3 innings, striking out 11 batters while only allowing 4 hits and 1 walk. Buehrle was a

Mark Buehrle had a performance to remember.

machine, as he used his veteran pitching knowledge to his advantage, striking out 9 of his 11 victims looking. Buehrle didn't overwhelm any batters with his mid-80 speed, but his pitch selection and placement was perfect. It should also be noted that Buehrle and newly acquired catcher Dioner Navarro created some great chemistry throughout the game, as the two were both on the same page the whole way through. For Buehrle, who is usually a slow starter with a 6.35 ERA in April last season and a 4.35 ERA career in April, it was a breath of fresh air for Mark Buehrle to get the season off on the right foot.

     The Jays' defence was also critical in the victory, as the team behind Buehrle made some stellar defensive plays and never commited an error in the victory. In particular, Jonathan Diaz was lights out at short stop, making some nice stabs at hot ground balls to make the hard plays look easy. Colby Rasmus also played very well in the game, tracking down some difficult balls that originally looked like trouble. It should also be noted that the Blue Jays are having all of this success without the services of all-star short stop Jose Reyes, who is on the 15-day DL with hamstring tightness. If the Jays could have a defensive game like that night in and night out, maybe the Blue Jays can become contenders again.

     The Blue Jays' offence wasn't dynamite, but they cashed in when they were given the opportunity much more often than they have in the games prior. Jose Bautista led things off in the 4th inning with a

Joey Bats had 2 solo bombs in the 3-0 victory.

bomb to left field off a hanging curve ball from Matt Moore, giving the Jays the 1-0 lead. After a clutch double from Edwin Encarnacion, Dioner Navarro would deliver, cashing in Edwin from 2nd to give the Jays a 2-0 lead. Joey Bats would cap off the night with his second dinger of the night, taking Josh Leuke deep to left in the 7th to give the Jays a commanding 3-0 lead. From there on, Buehrle took over and secured the victory for the Jays. If there is any concern on the offensive side thus far, it's Brett Lawrie. Lawrie is now 0/10 on the season and is still awaiting his first hit in the young season. It seems like Lawrie has changed his swing, slowing down his movement and planting his feet a bit more in his stance, which has caused some speed bumps for the 24 year old. Lawrie just needs to settle down and get back to his game, but his defensive play has been top notch thus far, so it's not like it's a pressing matter at the moment.

     The Blue Jays close out the series tomorrow, with Brandon Morrow taking the mound to take on Chris Archer in the series finale. After a horrendus start to the series, the Blue Jays have outscored the Rays 7-2 in the past two games and have tamed the Rays' offence. Mark Buehrle might have been the star, but the Toronto Blue Jays should be feeling confident with their progress since the disastrous season opener. The Blue Jays will exit the opening series with a .500 record at the least, and that has to be assuring for a team that has had troubles against the Rays in the past. Last season, starting pitching was the biggest question mark on the team, but with the stellar performances from both Hutchison and Buehrle, Jays fans are finally being assured of some solid starting pitching. R.A. Dickey on the other hand, still has some explaining to do. Regardless, the Blue Jays happily take the 3-0 victory on the back of a red hot Mark Buehrle, and hope to keep the momentum rolling heading into the series finale tomorrow night.