Growing Pains for the Jays
If there's one thing that might get the Jays into trouble this year, it's the middle relief.
I'm not about to start criticizing the middle relief and saying they suck, because they were amazing last year and really proved themselves in high pressure situations, but when you're four games into the season and you've already given up a 4-run lead and a 6-run lead due in large part to the ineffectiveness of your middle relievers, it becomes something that warrants a little bit closer scrutiny.
Aside from the middle relief problem, we've got it made. We have a 1-2 starter punch as good as any other in the league and while our 3rd starter perhaps isn't in the calibre of the other 3rd starters of playoff teams (and really that's only cuz he's a sophmore in terms of performance last season he was as good) we make up for it by having a 4-5 pitching combination that's probably one of the best in the league. We have people at the end - a great closer and a good setup guy. We have power and clutch hitting ability throughout the lineup, and a good mix of veterans and developing younger players.
If the middle relievers can get back to the form they had last year, then the Jays have what it takes to be in the race all the way up to September.
Otherwise, unless our starters go 6+ innings (like Halladay and Chacin did, and Towers and Downs - who isn't even a starter technically - didn't) we will struggle to win more games than we lose.
I'm not about to start criticizing the middle relief and saying they suck, because they were amazing last year and really proved themselves in high pressure situations, but when you're four games into the season and you've already given up a 4-run lead and a 6-run lead due in large part to the ineffectiveness of your middle relievers, it becomes something that warrants a little bit closer scrutiny.
Aside from the middle relief problem, we've got it made. We have a 1-2 starter punch as good as any other in the league and while our 3rd starter perhaps isn't in the calibre of the other 3rd starters of playoff teams (and really that's only cuz he's a sophmore in terms of performance last season he was as good) we make up for it by having a 4-5 pitching combination that's probably one of the best in the league. We have people at the end - a great closer and a good setup guy. We have power and clutch hitting ability throughout the lineup, and a good mix of veterans and developing younger players.
If the middle relievers can get back to the form they had last year, then the Jays have what it takes to be in the race all the way up to September.
Otherwise, unless our starters go 6+ innings (like Halladay and Chacin did, and Towers and Downs - who isn't even a starter technically - didn't) we will struggle to win more games than we lose.