2015 Toronto Blue Jays

[jon abbey]

Yeah, just going from the six games against NY, Tulo is generally a very tough out even if the results haven't been too positive so far. It's Donaldson and Bautista and Encarnacion that are killing people, though, what a mini-Murderer's Row there. 

 

[santadevil]

This is a nice breakdown of Tulo's 12 pitch at bat vs. Miller when NYY snapped Toronto's last winning streak.
http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2015/8/19/9176287/legendary-at-bats-miller-vs-tulowitzki
 
GIF's for each pitch too, which is nice.

 

[jon abbey]

Even still it has to be demoralizing to opposing pitching staffs to have Troy Tulowitzki, a clean up hitter, leading off the game. I was going to compare them to the 2013 Boston Red Sox in that they just wear down the competition from start to end until I looked up the numbers and realized the Sox that year finished with a .795 OPS while the Blue Jays are currently sitting at .777. Damn that 2013 club was awesome.

 
Coincidentally there is an Insider piece on this today that ranks all of the AL teams since 2000 by 'Runs Above Standard Deviation'. The article is subscriber only, but here are the numbers:

 

Best American League Offenses Since 2000

YEAR          TEAM         RUNS ABOVE STANDARD DEVIATION
 
2015   Toronto Blue Jays   2.642007
2007 New York Yankees  2.282003
2003 Boston Red Sox  1.882009
2009 New York Yankees  1.772008
2008 Texas Rangers  1.762001
2001 Seattle Mariners   1.662013
2013  Boston Red Sox  1.592011
2011 Boston Red Sox   1.592002
2002 New York Yankees   1.31
 
http://espn.go.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/13500816/case-made-toronto-blue-jays-having-best-al-offense-century-mlb

 

[santadevil]

Playoff tickets to go on sale starting tomorrow for season ticket holders.
 
Have to buy the strip

 
 
Dad is hoping we can snatch up a few to the WC/DS when they go on sale to the public in mid-Sptember.

 

[FanSinceBoggs]

Good news for the Blue Jays: the Yankees don’t have any games left with the Twins.  I never saw a team roll over and die for another team as much as the Twins roll over and die for the Yankees.  The Twins have been doing this for a long time.  The Yankees eliminated the Twins in the playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010.  I thought it was a Ron Gardenhire thing.  But the Yankees recent sweep of the Twins—the Twins were leading late in two of those games—has made me think that something else is at work here.
 
Of course, after getting swept by the Yankees, the Twins went on a roll and are very much alive in the wild card chase.  Interestingly, the Yankees and Twins could play each other again in the wild card game.  That game would be totally unwatchable -- we all know who wins that game. 

 

[canderson]

Really big come-from-behind win tonight, scoring 2 in the 9th to gain a game on NY.

 

[Rasputin]

Good news for the Blue Jays: the Yankees don’t have any games left with the Twins.  I never saw a team roll over and die for another team as much as the Twins roll over and die for the Yankees.  The Twins have been doing this for a long time.  The Yankees eliminated the Twins in the playoffs in 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010.  I thought it was a Ron Gardenhire thing.  But the Yankees recent sweep of the Twins—the Twins were leading late in two of those games—has made me think that something else is at work here.

 
Don't you remember how the Rangers rolled over for the Yankees? Three Division Series over four years and the Rangers won a total of one game.

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

 
Don't you remember how the Rangers rolled over for the Yankees? Three Division Series over four years and the Rangers won a total of one game.

Really? I don't remember that. That is, winning a game.

 

[jon abbey]

TEX lost to three Yankee title teams, they only won one game in three series (9-1) but NY's other six opponents those seasons only won six games in six series (24-6), they just crushed everyone in that era (14-2 in postseason series from 1996-2001, and the two they lost were very close). 
 
Also, TEX beat NY in the 2010 ALCS and beat them 5 out of 7 this year, including sweeping them in the Bronx, whereas the NY dominance over MIN is ongoing (5-1 this year, even though MIN was leading all six games at one point). 

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

Texas and Minnesota in a dog fight to see who is the bigger bitch of the MFY.

 

[soxhop411]

They cannot be stopped

 

[Rasputin]

Really? I don't remember that. That is, winning a game.

I'm pretty sure it was an accident.

 

[FanSinceBoggs]

 
How old are you?
 
For my generation, having the Mets as anything better than one step above the Yankees is unthinkable.

 
 
I think Flunky and Curly pretty much covered it concerning the kinship between Red Sox and Mets fans, specifically: sharing a hatred for the Yankees.

 

[rembrat]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9jaMJvYNq0

 

[scotian1]

So far this Saturday afternoon, Encarnacion has 3 homers and 9 RBI as the Jays lead Detroit 13 -1.

 

[Buster Olney the Lonely]

Encarnacion just hit a grand slam which was his third HR of the game. Jays fans are throwing hats on the field. This team is really really fun to watch.

 

[soxhop411]

Fans throwing hats onto the field.

 

[scotian1]

Jays fans littering the field in hockey tradition with hats!

 

[soxhop411]

“@bnicholsonsmith: #BlueJays have now scored 707 runs, which is more than 23 teams scored during entire 2014 season.”

 

[scotian1]

Final for today 15-1.

 

[rembrat]

Playoff games there are going to be incredible.

 

[brandonchristensen]

Being from Canada I've never been a Jays fan (grew up on Sox) but I do find this team fun to watch. I'd be A Okay with them rejuvenating the sport for Canada.

 

[MiracleOfO2704]

I mean, it's going to be real fun to see what they do in the postseason, but I can't get over the idea of "John Gibbons, Playoff Manager."

 

[jon abbey]

Donaldson and Encarnacion are the first teammates to each have 35 RBis in a calendar month since Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr in 1950. 

 

[jon abbey]

Pillar ran into Tulo on a pop fly today, and both went down hard. Tulo has a 'small crack in his left shoulder blade' and will be monitored for the next week to determine a timeline for his return. 

 

[jon abbey]

Devon Travis is going to have exploratory shoulder surgery in the hopes they can figure out what's been keeping him out, so he is done for the season.

 

[jon abbey]

Now just one game behind KC for the #1 seed.

 

[curly2]

If Stroman doesn't get that dead-arm period that pitchers sometimes get in the spring, they should be the favorite, at least in the AL.

 

[CaptainLaddie]

I'm calling it now: Blue Jays/Cubs in what will be the most entertaining World Series in a long, long time.  Two teams that can slug, pitch, play defense, and are way too much fun to watch.

 

[rembrat]

And before that a Blue Jays/Royals ALCS that's filled with dust ups and high octane Baseball. Gonna be a good fall.

 

[BestGameEvah]

If Stroman doesn't get that dead-arm period that pitchers sometimes get in the spring, they should be the favorite, at least in the AL.

Dead arm?  With THESE genes?
 

 

[rembrat]

Oh, cops and their steroids.

 

[curly2]

I thought they had gun control in Canada.

 

[Marciano490]

Oh, cops and their steroids.

 
Ronnie Coleman dislikes this post.

 

[jon abbey]

With KC's loss tonight, TOR tied them at 89-65, and since they won the head-to-head series 4-3, they are the #1 seed as of now.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

That series between KC and Toronto was fun last month - and turning out to have been pretty meaningful. Looking forward to more.

 

[jon abbey]

Tulowitzki back tonight, first game since Sept 12.

 

[santadevil]

Off to Toronto for games 1 and 2, with three others. Looking forward to the games. I haven't been there since the 92 regular season .

 

[mwonow]

Tough to lose the game, Donaldson and Bautista in the same couple of hours. Here's hoping that the latter two return, and that the Jays even things up Friday

 

[Fred not Lynn]

Pretty big bandwagon when a baseball team gets front page coverage in cities 2000 miles away from their home field.

 

[OzSox]

Pretty big bandwagon when a baseball team gets front page coverage in cities 2000 miles away from their home field.

 
And when 'win it all' means advancing to the LCS.

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

 
And when 'win it all' means advancing to the LCS.

Maybe Calgary and the AFCCG Participants are sister cities.

 

[ZP1]

Pretty big bandwagon when a baseball team gets front page coverage in cities 2000 miles away from their home field.

 
In fairness, Toronto is the defacto national team for Canada at this point - being the only MLB team in Canada and all. 

 

[MyDaughterLovesTomGordon]

That Bautista bat flip and the crowd reaction is some of the most intense baseball I've ever seen.

Fenway can rock, but adding another 10k fans makes for some serious noise. Well done, Toronto.

 

[Al Zarilla]

That Bautista bat flip and the crowd reaction is some of the most intense baseball I've ever seen.

Fenway can rock, but adding another 10k fans makes for some serious noise. Well done, Toronto.

Roof in the closed position also made it louder.

 

[brandonchristensen]

 
In fairness, Toronto is the defacto national team for Canada at this point - being the only MLB team in Canada and all. 

Essentially. I'm from Calgary and Toronto is their team.