Did you hear that thud?
That was the noise the Toronto Blue Jays made after a 2-8 stretch all but eliminated them from playoff contention.
After winning seven of ten games on a homestand, which included winning two of three against the New York Yankees, and three of four against the Tampa Bay Rays, two teams the Blue Jays are chasing, the wheels have completely fallen off.
They traveled to Chicago to face the defending World Series champion, Cubs, where they promptly lost all three games, including one in extra innings despite holding the lead.
They next went to Tampa Bay where they dropped two of three in a crucial series, against a team they could have passed in the standings.
Then they returned home for a three game set against the Minnesota Twins.
Did that change things?
No chance.
They lost two of three to the Twins, the team currently holding the very playoff position the Blue Jays are supposed to be chasing.
And of course, they then took on the division leading Boston Red Sox, and lost the first game of that series as well.
All told that’s eight losses in ten games, and has taken the Jays from being just three games back on Aug. 17 to 6.5 games back as of Aug. 29.
With just one month left in the season and seven teams to pass in the standings it is time to officially call it quits on this team.
They have not been very good right from opening day either.
Injuries, of course, have played a big role as Aaron Sanchez, Russell Martin, and Troy Tulowitzki have missed a significant chunk of the season, and Josh Donaldson missed nearly the first two months, just to name a few.
And of course regression has also hurt this team as Jose Bautista is a shell of the player he once was, Marco Estrada is having his worst season as a Blue Jay, and it is not even close, and Roberto Osuna has had trouble closing out games at times this season, again that is only naming a few.
Of course it has not been all bad for the Jays as Justin Smoak has gone from being an offensive liability to one of the best hitters on the team, and Marcus Stroman has continued to improve as a starting pitcher.
The problem now for the Blue Jays is they are at a cross roads, as it would be easy to chalk this season up to just a bad year, with as many key players being hurt as the Jays have had, but I actually think the injuries are the root of the problem and the reason this team is in trouble.
If you look at the players who are injured, Sanchez has always dealt with blister problems, Martin is getting older and has been beaten up over the years, and Tulo is also aging and has had his fair share of injuries over the course of his career.
So to expect those players to be healthy and available all season next year would be a mistake.
This team is in trouble.
And that trouble starts now, since the playoffs are all about officially out of reach.
