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| Got baby blue wearin' / starting pitchers not carin' |
Ryu-day! And a Ryu-day of uncommon moment, in that this was actually Hyun-Jin Ryu's first start in Toronto since signing what seems like really kind of a long time ago now. Ryu has been very good all year, but great recently (a sub-two ERA in his last five starts or so, I am pretty sure I saw), and this was more of the same: two runs over seven innings, over which he struck out eight and walked none (that there were seven hits does not concern me). George Springer and Téo both homered in the first, which is delightful, but arguably even more delightful was Reese McGuire's bunt double with a man on in the sixth. Take that, the shift! It's only the second bunt double we know about in Blue Jays history, and perhaps unsurprisingly the other one is recent, too: Cavan Biggio in 2019 in what you'd have to think was another shift situation (shiftuation). A very cheering game, in which the Blue Jays managed to score seven even though Vladdy went 0 for 5 (he wasn't striking out or anything -- just one of those fluky things). And I woke up this morning to the news that Oakland had lost (against San Diego; no shame) along with Boston and Tampa Bay, which means not only are the Blue Jays just three games back of the second Wild Card, they're now six back of the other Wild Card and seven out of the division. I am not yet willing to rule out the AL East! Even though I already ruled it out early this season when they were ten-and-a-half back or so! But Boston has lost five in a row, and the Rays aren't looking quite so hot, so who knows? Could it be the Blue Jays and the Yankees trading off the AL East lead down the stretch, with the Red Sox and the Rays mixing it up with the A's for the final Wild Card? Almost certainly not! And yet here I am, headed over to FanGraphs to check in on the updated playoff odds . . . 38.1% to make the playoffs! 30.6% to win the Wild Card! And just 7.6% to win the division, as maybe I am getting a little ahead of things here. Or maybe I have simply seen the signs of what is to come; and know to read them.
KS
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