Central division foes no longer a soft spot for struggling Blue Jays

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The mere thought of going through a soft spot in the schedule — even if to some it actually seemed to be true — is a luxury the Blue Jays are well aware they can ill afford to let their mindset drift towards.

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And for the latest example, look no further than a sleepy Saturday afternoon effort in the Motor City where the feeble Toronto offence faltered once again in a 2-1 loss to the Tigers.

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Soft spot, you say? The Jays are now 3-3 in the first six games of a 10-game run some were expecting would surge the Jays to within the shadow of .500 and recalibrate a season that by any definition has been off the rails.

The Jays have a chance to salvage a split in the four-game series on Sunday, but first will have to get over yet another maddening defeat at the hands of the type of team that was once easy fodder for a powerful lineup.

And if you’re seeking to further identify a weak link in the Jays slip to a team spending far too much time as a sub .500 outfit, look no further than the one-time weakling known as the American League Central.

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After Saturday’s loss, the Jays are just 6-10 against a division they have traditionally feasted on. In fact, without their 22-10 mark against those teams — the only division in which they compiled a winning record last season — the Jays wouldn’t have been anywhere close to the post season in 2023.

The view that this run of 10 consecutive games against lesser lights in the Central could help gather momentum still has possibilities, but those prospects are now considerably modest. And as they’ve shown through the first six games of that stretch nothing is guaranteed.

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Though the Jays have shown some signs of life over the past week, scoring nine runs in each of their three most recent wins, the inconsistencies remain a major issue for an offence lacking in reliable depth.

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As for facing foes from the Central, that was the Jays pathway to the post season but that’s hardly the case in 2024. They still have a losing record against those teams and have yet to play any of the six schedule dates against the division-leading Cleveland Guardians.

Without padding their record against the Central, where are the Jays going to make up ground? Last year they were 16-16 against the West and a miserable 21-31 against the stout competition in their own grouping. So far in 2024, they’re 7-8 against the East and 3-3 versus the West.

And back to that “soft” spot in the schedule that general manager Ross Atkins hinted would offer opportunity, look again. The Jays are now 3-3 for the first six games and at 23-28 overall still with considerable ground to navigate just to get back to .500.

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GAME ON

With an offence still trying to fight its way out of the doldrums, it was the worst possible start at Comerica Park when Kerry Carpenter got the Tigers on the board with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. Too often a modest deficit is a lethal deficit with this team  … The string of missed scoring opportunities conspired once again, as the Jays managed just one run. They had a chance to tie it in the ninth when Isiah Kiner-Falefa made his way to third with two out, but pinch hitter Danny Jansen couldn’t salvage the day as he struck out swinging … And, yes, there was more dramatic failings earlier. We take you back to the fifth inning was a just the latest example of the frustrating offensive innings the Jays have had too often. After a leadoff single from Alejandro Kirk was followed by a nifty bunt single from  Kiner-Falefa, the Jays got nothing after a Justin Turner strikeout to end their version of a would-be rally … Skip ahead to the seventh where the Jays finally got on the board with a two-out double from Davis Schneider to drive home Kiner-Falefa but the Jays couldn’t add more when Turner hit into a ground out … Once again, the Jays were unable to take advantage of a solid effort from starter Jose Berrios, who went seven complete and allowed just seven hits while striking out five.

AROUND THE BASES

Berrios saw his record dip to 5-4, which is mostly an indictment on the dudes with bats in their hands. The Jays have given him just one run of support in each of those defeats … How good have Berrios and his fellow starters been? In 11 of their past 12 games, they’ve allowed three runs or fewer per outing … With the loss, the Jays fell to 11-16 on the road this season.

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