MLB

Blue Jays' struggles on display as season hits quarter mark

The Toronto Blue Jays returned home after an emotional series with the Texas Rangers and have certainly not looked like the defending American League East champions in consecutive blowout losses to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Cold bats, bullpen woes amount to 19-22 record

Rays rout Blue Jays for 2nd straight game

9 years ago
Duration 0:56
Tampa Bay beats Toronto 12-2.

The Toronto Blue Jays returned home after an emotional series with the Texas Rangers and have certainly not looked like the defending American League East champions in consecutive blowout losses to the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Fans are all too familiar with the "it's early" narrative for a season that spans 162 games, but with 41 games now in the books and the Blue Jays sporting a record of 19-22, is that slogan that preaches patience starting to wear out its welcome? 

A 13-2 loss to the Rays on Monday, followed by a 12-2 loss on Tuesday could shift the thinking. 

Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the brawl in Texas on Sunday was that the Jays let a 5-3 lead slip away in a 7-6 loss. 

The bullpen's performance has been the team's biggest weakness so far this season. Prior to Tuesday's game, Blue Jays relievers had a record of 3-13, with seven blown saves, and had allowed 44 per cent of inherited runners to score, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Until the two blowout losses to Tampa, the starting rotation had been giving fans reason for optimism, just as soon as the bats came around.

Marcus Stroman (4-1) and J.A. Happ (5-1), who took those Tampa losses as the first blemish on their records this season, and Aaron Sanchez (3-1) have helped take away the sting of losing David Price in free agency, while Marco Estrada (1-2) and R.A. Dickey (2-4) have struggled to find their groove.  

But making matters worse is that an offence which led the majors by a huge margin in 2015 with 891 runs scored has produced just 163 runs so far this season — just two above the average mark for American League teams. 

Power hasn't necessarily been an issue as the Blue Jays are tied for 10th in the majors in home runs, however their team average of .238 (prior to Tuesday) has them in the bottom third of MLB.

Manager John Gibbons hasn't been around to see much of the recent struggles and you have to wonder if he might be on shaky ground. He was ejected in consecutive games and then began serving a three-game suspension on Tuesday for returning to the field after being tossed on Sunday in Texas. 

The new management team hasn't been shy about making changes and the addition of former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge as a player development advisor has been viewed by some as the potential replacement for Gibbons if the losses continue to pile up.

While there are still 121 games remaining and plenty of time to make adjustments, Toronto hasn't necessarily shown signs of turning things around.

The Blue Jays were 18-23 at this point in 2015, but they received a major boost at the trade deadline that propelled them to the top of the division.

What remains to be seen is whether the organization will look to make similar moves this time around.