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The Toronto Blue Jays (52-38) are on a roll and there may be no stopping them the rest of the season. After polishing off the Los Angeles Angels for the third consecutive game, the Blue Jays have a three-game lead on the second-place New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. Both the Yankees and Rays are 49-41.
The Blue Jays have won 8 straight games. After beating the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park last Sunday, the Blue Jays hosted the Yankees in a four-game series at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays battered the Yankees pitching staff and swept the series to move into first place. They have now swept a 7-game series at home for just the second time in team history.
The only other occasion the Blue Jays swept a series of that length at home came in 1994.
Toronto's latest victory was a 3-2 triumph over the Angels. Shortstop Bo Bichette hit a game-tying home run and scored the game-winning run for the streaking team.
The Blue Jays averaged 9 runs per game in the sweep of the Yankees as manager John Schneider's team battered the highly rated New York pitching staff.
George Springer has been on fire for the Blue Jays. He is slashing .285/.378/.520 with 16 home runs and 53 runs batted in and 10 stolen bases. Springer is healthy this year after battling injuries in the past, and he excelled at delivering big hits in the clutch.
“We’re just on a heater right now,” said outfielder Nathan Lukes, per The Athletic. “When things are going this way, we feel like nothing can really tear us down.”
Blue Jays have a pair of All-Stars in their lineup
The Blue Jays have plenty of depth in their lineup. Nobody hits the ball harder than Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the first baseman will be in Atlanta July 15 as a member of the American League All-Star team.
Guerrero is slashing .279/.383/.442 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI. He does not have the lift to his swing that some American League sluggers possess, but he hits some of the hardest line drives in baseball.
Guerrero will be joined on the AL All-Star team by teammate Alejandro Kirk. The squatty catcher has had an excellent offensive season as he is slashing .301/.357/.414 with 7 home runs and 41 RBI.
In addition to having to hold off the Yankees and the Rays, the Red Sox are creeping up in the standings. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and have scored 10 runs or more in 4 of their last 8 games. They are expecting to get All-Star Alex Bregman back shortly, and the All-Star 3rd baseman could help them make the American League East a 4-team race.
