Thankfully for those sad sack Blue Jays of Toronto the month of June is behind them.
Finishing up the month with a 10-16 record on the heels of a 3 game winning streak, the Blue Jays have fallen into dead last in the American League East with virtually no chance of ever catching the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays. Ultimately at season’s end, fans will remember the club’s terrible record in June and specifically the 7 game losing streak from June 14-21 that did this club in early on in the season.
So who’s to blame for the terrible production this past month? Well I guess John Gibbons is off the hook as he was fired in June and replaced by Cito Gaston, which for the rest of this season is nothing more than a PR ploy by Blue Jays ownership and management. I have a feeling Cito Gaston will return as manager next season, but I’m hoping it’s with a different cast of characters and (fingers crossed) a new General Manager.
In breaking down the month of June let’s start as always with the teams performance on Offense.
The following stats show total values for JUNE, with their respective place in the AMERICAN LEAGUE only, in parenthesis.
Runs Scored: 111 (12th)
Batting Average: .261 (12th)
Home Runs: 21 (12th)
Walks: 104 (4th)
Stolen Bases: 10 (13th)
OBP: .342 (8th)
OPS: .739 (11th)
GIDP: 28 (2nd)
Batting Average with RISP: .238 (13th)
So what do those offensive numbers tell you? Well the numbers don’t lie and they show a Blue Jays team that is essentially below average everywhere, except when it comes to taking base on balls.
In my opinion here are the most glaring and alarming statistics.
– The Blue Jays scored 111 runs in the month of June which placed them 12th in the 14 team American League. You can’t compete in the American League when you’re only averaging 4.2 runs per game. Even that statistic is skewed of course as the Jays had a few games this month where they put up 8,9, even 14 runs to throw the stats out of wack. The fact is, on a game to game basis this team is terribly inconsistent with its run production and they just don’t have the firepower necessary to compete for a playoff spot.
– The Blue Jays OPS was .739 in the month of June which was well below the American League average of .778. This might be one of the most important stats with respect to offense because it shows that the Blue Jays are a small ball team.
Guys are getting on base for Toronto, but the guys following them up to the plate are either getting out or advancing them just one base with another walk or single. Rarely have the Jays driven in multiple runs with a big home run, double or triple. It’s been station to station all season and it’s obviously not working. Heck, the Blue Jays are tops in the AL in hitting into double plays, so, even when contact is made with men on the club often ends up with 2 outs.
– Finally, the team is one of the worst in all of baseball when it comes to hitting with Runners in scoring position (RISP). Toronto hit just .238 in June, leaving them 13th in the AL ahead of only the Seattle Mariners.
So when you factor in Toronto’s inability to get big hits (low slugging) and couple that with their amazing ability to always choke in the clutch, it will inevitably lead to a low scoring, frustrating to watch team.
Let’s move on to the once invincible pitching staff.
Following the month of May in which the Blue Jays were arguably baseball’s top pitching team, June produced a few setbacks for the team’s hurlers.
ERA: 4.11 (9th)
HR Allowed: 28 (7th)
BB: 82 (6th)
SO: 195 (5th)
Opponents Batting Average: .254 (7th)
WHIP: 1.33 (6th)
– Well that looks like a pretty average pitching staff eh? Not exactly near the top of anything, but nowhere near the bottom either? That might be fine for some teams, but with one of baseball’s worst offensive clubs going up to bat for you every night, you need to be better than average. You need to be as good as you were in May every month to have a chance. Obviously that’s not realistic, but it would be nice.
So what jumps out here? Let’s have a look.
– The ERA jumped up a bit from 2.91 in May (best in baseball) to 4.11 in June. Not a terrible ERA, but not great and certainly not enough for the Jays to accomplish anything. It could have been worse had it not been for Burnett and Halladay’s zeros the last two nights.
– The Opponents Batting Average jumped up significantly from a MLB best of .211 in May to .254 in June. Again, a pretty average mark, but this team cannot afford to put more men on base. Of course the higher batting average also resulted in Toronto’s MLB best WHIP of 1.09 jumping to 1.33 in June.
– So what to say about the pitching staff this past month? It’s obvious they were nowhere near as sharp as they were in May, but realistically that would be tough to match every month. This team was average during the month of June.
So how about individual players? Let’s have a look at a few Jays who were hot this month and some Jays who were not.
–HOT
Joe Inglett: In the absence of Aaron Hill, Inglett has seen increased playing time and has been producing. In the month of June, Inglett was Toronto’s best hitter with a .377 batting average while also driving in 10 runs. He also lead the team in OPS with a 1.025
Scott Rolen: Rolen lead the team in RBI’s during the month of June with 13. It is pretty sad that 13 RBI’s in 25 games would lead to a season total of 90, but hey, that’s pretty high for any Jays player this year. Regardless, Rolen was the team’s leading run producer, Home Run Threat (4) and was second in OPS at .859
Roy Halladay: As has been the case for many years now, Halladay was the one bright spot on the staff during the month of June. Doc finished the month with a 3-1 record on the heels of last night’s shutout victory over the Mariners. His 2.83 ERA for the month and 41.1 IP over 6 games were also nice looking numbers. Here’s betting he’ll be the only Blue Jay at Yankee Stadium for the All-Star game in a few weeks.
Scott Downs: Downs was fantastic coming out of the bullpen this month posting an ERA of 0.00 through 12 games. He tossed a total of 14.1 Innings for the month and struck out 13. I feel that Downs and his 1.19 ERA deserve a spot on the All-Star team, but it’s rare to see relievers who are not closers make the squad.
–COLD
Jesse Litsch: After a sparkling month of May, the Jays # 5 starter was lit up in the month of June to the tune of a 1-3 record and an ERA of 5.12. Granted his fellow starters weren’t much better (I’m looking at you Dustin) but Litsch had the poorest numbers of them all.
BJ Ryan: Ryan came crashing back to Earth last month blowing two saves early on before eventually ending up with an 0-3 record for the month and an ERA near five (4.91). He settled down as the month progressed, but if Ryan had converted those 2 blown saves the team would be looking a bit better at 43-41. But no closer is perfect eh?
Matt Stairs: On a team starving for power, I was hoping that perhaps Stairs could supply a little more offense. But his 2 homers for the month of June, coupled with his .238 batting average signal that Stairs best days are likely behind him.
Lyle Overbay: The Jays 1B continued his underwhelming season posting a .236 batting average for the month of June in addition to one measly home run. He did somehow manage to drive in 12 RBI’s which was good for second on the club, but his production just hasn’t been there all season long. Unfortunately for Toronto he has a few years left on his deal and doesn’t appear to be on his way out anytime soon.
– So there you have it. The Blue Jays month in review for June. I’ll be back in a few weeks to have a look at the Blue Jays entire season leading up to the All-Star break. Hopefully they’ll be over .500 by then. Until next time, cheers.
