It was feast or famine for the Toronto Blue Jays on their recent road trip that included a record-breaking beatdown of the Colorado Rockies and a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The first-place team is back home for a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs starting Tuesday night at Rogers Centre ahead of a three-game weekend set against the Texas Rangers.
Toronto leads the American League standings at 69-50 and has a four-game lead on the Boston Red Sox entering play Monday night.
Here’s a look at five Blue Jays storylines to watch with about one-quarter of the season remaining:
The resurgence of veteran right-hander Max Scherzer and the emergence of southpaw Eric Lauer have given Toronto’s starting rotation more stability.
The team’s five-man crew, which also includes Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt, could soon become a six-man group as Shane Bieber nears a return.
The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner, who was acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline, has impressed in his Triple-A rehab appearances.
Bieber underwent Tommy John surgery last year. He has a career record of 62-32 with a 3.22 earned-run average over parts of seven big-league seasons.
Toronto leads the major leagues in several offensive categories, thanks in part to back-to-back-to-back routs of the Rockies last week.
The Blue Jays set a modern-era big-league record with a whopping 63 hits over the three games in Colorado. Toronto also set a franchise record with 45 runs scored.
After dropping two of three games in Los Angeles over the weekend, the Blue Jays still lead the big leagues in hits (1,099), batting average (.269) and on-base percentage (.339). Toronto is also third in on-base-plus slugging percentage (.767).
The Blue Jays will have some tough decisions to make this month as some big-name players get set to return to the lineup.
Second baseman Andres Gimenez will soon be activated after spending five weeks on the injured list with a left ankle sprain.
Outfielder/designated hitter George Springer, who has been out for two weeks due to a concussion, could also soon return.
Recent call-up Buddy Kennedy is the most likely player to be sent down. A second roster move is expected to be a much tougher call, given it will likely involve a player who sees more regular playing time.
A couple of hard-throwing right-handers could make their mark at the big-league level for the Blue Jays over the coming weeks.
Alek Manoah has impressed in his minor-league starts as he continues to build up after undergoing elbow surgery last year.
Manoah finished third in Cy Young Award voting in 2022 and is 29-20 with a 3.34 ERA over 75 career starts for the Blue Jays.
Normally a starter, top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage threw in relief for double-A New Hampshire last week for the first time since being drafted last year in the first round.
He had nine strikeouts over five innings
A playoff berth appears to be a slam dunk for Canada’s lone big-league baseball team.
Entering Monday’s games, Toronto has a 98.3-per-cent chance of qualifying for the post-season, per FanGraphs projections.
The website lists the Blue Jays at 78.1 per cent to win the East Division and at 65.8 per cent to earn a first-round bye to the division series.
After this homestand, Toronto visits the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins before returning to Rogers Centre to play the Minnesota Twins and MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers.
