The Toronto Blue Jays, awaiting the return 메이저사이트 of the “Korean Monster,” Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, have been a bit out of sorts. They looked good at the end of the first half and the beginning of the second before falling apart again in back-to-back losses.
Toronto spent the first half of the season at the bottom of the American League East in the dreaded AL East. They struggled with offensive imbalances. Sitting in fourth place, there was still hope. They were swept by the Boston Red Sox near the end of the first half, but rebounded with four straight wins.
The upswing was cut short by a no-hitter. On July 9 against the Detroit Tigers, the team failed to get a single hit and fell to 0-2. But he quickly turned things around. On July 10, they finished the first half with a 4-3 sweep of Detroit, and then swept the Arizona Diamondbacks to start the second half.
A four-game winning streak raised expectations. They moved up to third place in the division and closed the gap on the leaders. However, they lost back-to-back games to the San Diego Padres, who are at the bottom of the National League West. They went 1-9 on the 18th and 0-2 on the 19th. The bats and mound collapsed.
As Toronto stumbled, there was a change of scenery in the Alley of Horrors. The Baltimore Orioles (58-37) overtook the perennial leaders, the Tampa Bay Rays (60-39). Below them is Toronto (53-43), followed by the Boston Red Sox (51-46) and New York Yankees (50-47).
The good news for Toronto is that Tampa Bay and the Yankees have been very poor lately. They are 5.5 games behind first-place Baltimore and 2.5 games ahead of fourth-place Boston. Despite the unfortunate series loss to San Diego, they remain in third place in the division and still have a chance to make a run at the top.
With Ryu’s imminent return, it’s imperative that the team reduces its ups and downs. First, they need to break out of the losing streak and hit the road. San Diego on the 21st will be crucial, followed by a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners and LA Dodgers on the road. They then welcome the Los Angeles Angels home for a three-game series.
The most important seven-game stretch begins in August. They play four games at home against the division-leading Baltimore Orioles and three on the road against the Boston Red Sox. The seven-game series against the “dreaded AL East” in early August will be a watershed moment in the standings this season. It could also coincide with the return of Ryu Hyun-jin.