Canada Sport News

Astros' recent success serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of baseball fortunes for Blue Jays
  • Game coverage - recap
    •

    Astros’ recent success serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of baseball fortunes for Blue Jays

    TORONTO — The usual pomp and circumstance ushered in this latest Canada Day for the Toronto Blue Jays. There was a giant flag on the field, maple leafs around the mound for the festivities, elderly veterans honoured for their service and, in a nice touch, new Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Ashley Stephenson, a coach with advanced-A Vancouver, throwing out the first pitch to Jack Graney Award winner Buck Martinez.

    Under unblemished blue skies on an ideal 25 C afternoon, it really felt like a springboard into summer.

    Within the baseball industry, of course, July 1 is also an unofficial springboard into trade deadline season, which this season hits on July 30. The July 14-16 draft arrives first and will be the primary focus of front offices until the picking is done, but teams are well down the road sussing out the intentions of their rivals and the direction borderline clubs plan to take, the Blue Jays prime among them, should be set by then.

    At 38-46 after a 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros (43-41) in the opener of a four-game set, the Blue Jays need the type of streak their American League West opponents are on right now, with 10 wins in 11 outings, to avert a looming selloff of their expiring contracts.

    MLB on Sportsnet


    Watch the Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays Central pre-game, marquee MLB matchups, Jays in 30, original documentaries, the wild card, divisional series, championship series and entire World Series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

    Broadcast schedule

    Fortunes can change quickly in a three-wild-card world. On June 18, when the Blue Jays at 35-38 were two games ahead of the Astros in the wild-card standings, Houston’s playoff probability hit a season-low 29.3 per cent, but has since surged up to 54.4 per cent heading into Monday’s play.

    Over that same span, the Blue Jays’ odds have dipped from 12.8 to 4.7 per cent, as they’ve spun their wheels, but the way the Astros have changed their fortunes is an example for them to emulate.

    “Absolutely,” said manager John Schneider. “They have good players and we do too. (Kyle) Tucker, (Jose) Altuve, (Alex) Bregman, (Yordan) Alvarez, some contributions from Chas (McCormick), (Yainer) Diaz, they kind of all got going at the same time. We’ve struggled to do that with our guys at the same time. That’s exactly what we’re looking for, you reel off what they’ve done. And you need good pitching every day and you need a good bullpen every day. And they’ve done a good job of that.”

    Monday’s loss, before a paid attendance of 39,265, represented another missed opportunity to begin building a run.

    Yariel Rodriguez, making a Canada Day start that carried a little extra meaning to him, set a new personal best with 6.2 innings, allowing only two hits, one of them Jeremy Pena’s go-ahead solo shot in the fifth, while striking out six during an outing he controlled from start to finish.

    But all too familiarly for the Blue Jays, they couldn’t capitalize on his gem, squandering a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity in the second against the emerging Hunter Brown, as Ernie Clement popped out and Kevin Kiermaier struck out to end the frame.

    Neither was supposed to be in the lineup. Clement was added when Vladimir Guerrero Jr., feeling the effects of the Gerrit Cole fastball that hit the fourth and pinky fingers on his right hand Sunday, was scratched, and Kiermaier was inserted when Isiah Kiner-Falefa suffered an undisclosed knee injury.

    Only two Blue Jays reached base from the third to seventh innings before they again loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Bryan Abreu. This time, George Springer ripped a liner right at Bregman at third base for the second out before Daulton Varsho grounded out to second to end that threat.

    That proved doubly costly in the ninth, when Bregman and an out-later Alvarez homered to make it a 3-0 game, lowering the leverage as Josh Hader closed out the bottom half, surrendering a solo shot to Clement that was too little, too late.

    More from Sportsnet
    Blue Jays’ Guerrero Jr. named American League player of the week


    Canada Day start latest landmark for Yariel Rodriguez after leaving Cuba for Blue Jays

    The Houston Astros have been on a tear lately, dominating the competition and solidifying their position as one of the top teams in Major League Baseball. Their recent success serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of baseball fortunes, particularly for teams like the Toronto Blue Jays.

    The Astros were once in a similar position to the Blue Jays – a young, talented team with potential but struggling to find consistency and success on the field. However, through smart drafting, shrewd trades, and strategic player development, the Astros have transformed themselves into a powerhouse in the American League.

    The Blue Jays, on the other hand, have had their fair share of ups and downs in recent years. Despite making a splash in the offseason with high-profile acquisitions like George Springer and Marcus Semien, the team has struggled to find their footing and string together wins. Injuries, underperformance, and tough competition have all played a role in their inconsistent play.

    But baseball is a fickle game, and fortunes can change in an instant. Just look at the Astros – a few years ago, they were the laughingstock of the league, but now they are legitimate World Series contenders. The Blue Jays have the talent and potential to turn things around and make a run at the postseason, but they will need to find that same winning formula that has propelled the Astros to success.

    It’s important for Blue Jays fans to remember that baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. The ebbs and flows of a long season can be frustrating, but they can also be exhilarating when things start to click. The Astros’ recent success should serve as motivation for the Blue Jays to keep pushing forward and never give up on their quest for greatness.

    In the end, baseball is a game of unpredictability and surprises. The Astros’ rise to the top serves as a reminder that anything is possible in this sport, and that fortunes can change in an instant. The Blue Jays have all the tools they need to succeed – now it’s just a matter of putting it all together and making a run at greatness.