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.

Jays Pitching The Lone Cause For Concern Down The Stretch

     Even with the acquisition of David Price back in late July, pitching remains the Blue Jays' achilles heel as we are now into the final month of regular season play. The Blue Jays are (without a doubt) the best team in baseball since the all-star break, and their pitching has been rock solid for them the past month. For the most part. Amidst the star-studded batting order and flashy defence, pitching will be the one area of this Blue Jays team that will have you pulling your hair out as we head down the final stretch of the season.

     Let's get this out of the way now, there shouldn't be any doubt in the ability of the Blue Jays rotation, especially with David Price. When Price takes the mount, you're almost guaranteed a quality start. That's assured. It's the rest of the rotation that scares me a bit. It helps that the other four pitchers are on a roll right now (minus Drew Hutchison) and the team is giving them major run support, but down the stretch, if the Jays' bats can't provide 7-8 runs a game, there is some fear of the Jays' pitching not being able to hold down the fort against the best in the majors. It should also be noted that Marco Estrada has done a tremendous job for the Blue Jays this season and aside from the MVP season from Josh Donaldson you could argue his rise has been the biggest factor to the Jays having the success they've had this season. Without Marco Estrada, you aren't near .500 when you're entering the all-star break / trade deadline. It's not like the Jays' pitching has been atrocious this season, far from that, but it's still an area of concern for the blue birds.

     If there's a single starter who reflects the Jays' pitching staff this season, it's Drew Hutchison. Hutch has a great record of 13-3. If you don't look past that, you'd think Hutchison is having a great season. However, that's not exactly the case. Hutchison sports a 5.07 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP. If you didn't look at his record and saw those stats, you'd think his record would be terrible. Luckily, Hutchison has gotten the best run support in the league and has been able to shut the door when he's needed to to allow the Jays to win ball games. It's not a bad thing, but down the stretch against world series contenders, you can't have pitchers giving up a baserunner or two every inning, it will come back to bite you. His last start doesn't help Jays' fans sleep easily either, as he went 5 innings, allowing 9 hits and giving up 6 earned runs to the Baltimore Orioles on home turf. Not what you want to see from your 4-5 starter heading down the stretch.

     While R.A. Dickey's tenure as a Blue Jay has been a bumpy one to say the least, he's done his part since the all-star break. Minus a rough outing or two his knuckleball has been fooling the opposition since late July, which is what we need to see from him here in September when wins are more important than ever. The only cause for concern with Dickey is the unpredictability. On any given day his knuckleball just might not have the movement needed and could get knocked around. That being said, that theory swings both ways, but unpredictability isn't something you want heading down the stretch. If Dickey can continue to throw quality starts as we approach the post-season, he'll be much more reliable on the hill for the Jays when they need it in October.

     Mark Buehrle is the grizzled veteran of the group, and all season he's been captain consistent. He doesn't throw anything extremely hard or eye-opening but he's a technician on the mound. He hits his spots and keeps the ball in the park and in play for his teammates. He's had a couple bumps in the road in his last few starts which is unsettling, but Jays fans shouldn't have to worry much about the performance of the Bulldog in the last portion of the season.

     The Blue Jays bullpen has been an area of concern the entire season. With Brett Cecil and Aaron Loup both having disapointing seasons and the downfall of Steve Delabar, the Jays bullpen needed new life to step in and help stop the bleeding. Luckily for the blue birds, 20-year-old Roberto Osuna did just that. Osuna now has 16 saves out of the bullpen and has looked composed as can be on the mound in very stressful and pressure-cooker situations. The most impressive stat for Osuna is his WHIP, which currently sits at 0.86. Not only is he baffling the opposing hitters with incredible velocity and movement, he's also keeping runners off base in the late innings. Not to mention, Bo Schultz has done a terrific job as well this season as he's answered the call and then some. The addition of LaTroy Hawkins to the bullpen has also helped the young Jays relievers immensely, as the 20-year veteran has imposed a much more veteran-feel to the pen. It also helps that Hawkins has been lights out since coming over from the Rockies. With Marcus Stroman looking like he'll be coming out of the bullpen in the near future, it'll only fortify the Jays' resurgence out of the pen.

     Again, I'm not saying the Jays' pitching is terrible by any means, but if there's an achilles heel to this juggernaut squad, it's on the hill. Here's to hoping the Blue Jays' pitching continues to shut the door and allows their bats to distance them from the opponent, as they approach the final chunk of the season with a small lead and a chance to break a 22-year post-season drought.