Blue Jays Fall in Recent Power Rankings After Coming Up Short Against White Sox
In this story:
The Toronto Blue Jays have had many ups and downs in their race to catch the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. They are four games out of the top spot and one-and-a-half back from the second-place Tampa Bay Rays.
The Blue Jays went 11-3 from May 29 to June 11 and looked like one of the best offenses in baseball. But they've looked like a different team this past week, and not in a good way.
More News: Toronto Blue Jays Hitting Trends Show Offense is Built to Thrive at Home
Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter put out his MLB power rankings and slated Toronto at No. 16 after being No. 13 the previous week.
He believes the team is still in decent shape, although this week was not their best look.
"Despite a rough series loss at home to a bad White Sox team over the weekend, they are still 16-9 in their last 25 games and looking like a potential wild-card contender," Reuter wrote.
Max Scherzer will be activated on Wednesday after dealing with thumb inflammation.
More News: Max Scherzer Confirms When He Will Return to Toronto Blue Jays Rotation
He will make just his second start of the season after being placed on the injured list back at the start of March.
Toronto did not have a ton of momentum entering the week, either. They had a real litmus test against the Philadelphia Phillies in a three-game set, but got swept. They then showed a fight against the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning two out of three, but then fell flat against the Chicago White Sox.
More News: Toronto Blue Jays Fight Through Grueling Division Race Where Every Game Matters
The Blue Jays are 41-36 but enter a key stretch of their schedule.
After opening the week with the Cleveland Guardians, they will face the Boston Red Sox and Yankees for an important opportunity to regain ground in the AL East.
Anders Pryor is an MLB writer and contributor at On SI a part of the Sports Illustrated network. He graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Journalism and spent his senior year interning with the sports desk at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Anders loves spending his free time running in the park and being with friends.
Follow aphatessports