Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Upcoming Soft Schedule Stretch Gives Blue Jays Chance to Climb
The Blue Jays need to go on a run. They're slowly drifting out of a playoff spot and in need of a hot streak. According to manager John Schneider "there's no time to wait at all."
"We've got to do it right f**king now," he told reporters in Baltimore, including Kaitlyn McGrath.
Luckily for Schneider and Toronto, the Jays have a chance to make up some serious ground. With five weeks remaining in the regular season, the Jays enter the softest stretch of their entire schedule — five series, 15 games, against no winning records. It's an opportunity for damage they can't afford to pass up.
By opponent win rate, the Jays have the fifth-easiest schedule in baseball remaining. That comes in large part due to the next few weeks of games:
Blue Jays Upcoming Schedule
- 3 Vs Cleveland (47.6% Win Rate)
- 3 vs Washington (46.0%)
- 3 @ Colorado (38.4%)
- 3 @ Oakland (28.6%)
- 3 vs Kansas City (31.3%)
The Guardians are the only team Toronto plays during this stretch that don’t rank within the seven worst records in MLB. The Jays have played the Royals, A's, and Guardians already this season, racking up a 7-4 record against them so far.
How Has Toronto Done Against Bad Teams?
One reason this stretch of games is particularly important for the Jays is their success against bad teams this year. Against teams over .500, the Jays are 38-42. Against teams at or below the even mark, they're 32-16 — that's a 108-win pace.
If the Jays can make hay during this bottom-feeder stretch, they've got an opportunity to vault themselves back into a playoff position and up the AL wild-card race.
Playoff Implications
Prior to Friday's game against the Guardians, the Blue Jays sit 1.5 games out of a postseason position. They're 9.5 back of the division, making their AL East hopes essentially dead. But, they're in a bit of a battle with the Rangers, Mariners, and Astros for the final two AL playoff spots.
Racking up a serious streak of wins over the next few weeks will probably be the difference between an October ticket and an early offseason. After this stretch of games, the Jays finish off the year with a relatively challenging few weeks.
They face off against the Rangers, Red Sox, and then a pair of series against the Yankees and Rays. It's not that Toronto can't win some of those series, but expecting to make up serious playoff ground against Texas and Tampa is lofty. Now's the stretch to climb back into the picture and allow those last few series to be water-treading season.
