I now it’s early but the Blue Jays are sitting atop the American League East with a 5-1 record. They have outscored the competition 29-18 this season. All five of the wins have been close enough that the Jays have a save in each win. Jason Frasor has 3 saves and Kevin Gregg has 2 on the year. It’s good to have to capable closers so that they won’t wear one out. I have a feeling that the Jays are going to be playing a lot of close games this season so protecting leads late in games will be very important and they have a solid, deep bullpen in place for 2010.

The Blue Jays have started the season 2-1 as they outscored the Rangers 14-10. They did it with timely hitting and outstanding pitching. The Jays only gave up 16 hits while whiffing 25 batters in only 26 1/3 innings against the Rangers. That was good for a 2.73 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP as a team which is out of this world. The Blue Jays hope to keep the ball rolling against Orioles in Baltimore this weekend.

Sometimes it takes lefty pitchers a little while to figure things out in the major leagues. Scott Downs came into this season with a 17-15 record with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in 117 games in his major league career. He has been outstanding this season for the Blue Jays as Downs has indeed figured out how to dominate at the major league level. Downs has pitched in 75 games this season for the Blue Jays and he is 3-2 with 1 save, a 2.29 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Look for Downs to be a big part of the Blue Jays bright future in the bullpen. The Blue Jays are trying hard to finish over .500 despite all of the injuries they have suffered. They are currently 76-75 which has them in 3rd place in the American League East, 13.5 games behind the Red Sox.

The Blue Jays are now 72-72 which has them in 3rd place in the American League East, 15 games behind the Red Sox. Still, this season gives the Blue Jays hope for the future because of the young pitchers who have stepped up while filling in for the many injuries the Blue Jays suffered this season. Next year will be the season the Blue Jays step up and challenge the Red Sox and Yankees…….as long as they can stay healthy.

The Blue Jays are playing well this season despite all of the injuries they have suffered this season. The Blue Jays are 70-66 this season which has them in third place in the American League East 11.5 games behind the Red Sox. But, the Jays are only 5.5 games behind the Yankees for the Wild Card in the American League. Alex Rios is having the breakout season that most experts thought he had in him as he is hitting .309 with 98 runs scored, 22 homers, 71 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. The savior of the Blue Jays offense has been backup OF/1B Matt Stairs who is hitting .302 with 18 homers and 50 RBIs in only 275 at bats this year. The pitching staff has been incredible as the Jays have allowed the 2nd least runs (570, 4.2 per game) in the American League. Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan have been huge surprises in the starting rotation for the Blue Jays this season. Marcum is 12-5 with a 3.75 ERA and McGowan is 9-8 with a 4.00 ERA as they have replaced injured Gustavo Chacin and ineffective Josh Towers in the rotation. The Jays bullpen has also been sharp late in games despite losing B.J. Ryan in April. Jeremy Accardo has stepped into the closers’ role and he has been lights out. He is 3-3 with 27 saves and a 2.37 ERA so far this season for the Blue Jays. Casey Janssen also has been great as the set-up man for the Jays this season as he is 2-2 with 5 saves and a 2.32 ERA.Â