Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Jays 9-Game Road Trip an Important One
Date: May 27, 2008
Original Source: The On Deck Circle
Synopsis: The Jays were embarking on a big 9-game road trip coming off of a 10-3 stretch, making it a real measuring stick trip for the team. How would it shake down?

The Toronto Blue Jays appear to finally have arrived. The team’s left field situation seems, at least temporarily, solved by the stellar play of Shannon Stewart. Scott Rolen is buoying the middle of the order as the Best Blue Jay Ever. Alex Rios and Aaron Hill appear to be heading north out of their slumps. The catching platoon is finally hitting, a bit. And now David Eckstein is slated to return, upgrading on the ‘how do I get so many RBI hitting a bad average?’ Marco Scutaro.

And of course, there’s the pitching.

But are the Jays back for real, after a five game winning streak that sits them at 10-3 over their past 13? Well, we’ll certainly know a lot more about the present status of this team in 10 days time.

Yes, today the Blue Birds embark on a 9-game, 10-day road trip against strong competition that will certainly put their recent run of success to the test. Three at Oakland starting tonight, a weekend 3-set with the Los Angeles Angels, an off day, and then a trip to Yankee Stadium for three more.

That’s nobody’s idea of a fun road trip. Oakland is still (somehow) five games above .500 and still pitching at an AL-best clip. The Angels, ever-dangerous, are rounding into form as well and have won 7 of their past 10, sitting them 9 games above .500. And we’ve all heard about the Yankees’ struggles, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re the New York Yankees, boast an incredible 1-through-9 lineup, and despite the media attention to the contrary, they’re still just a game under .500.

So this trip is a big test, indeed. The Jays haven’t been a bad road team by any means, but they have been one of the league’s most inconsistent squads. After a 10-3 stretch, then, it’s no surprise fans are dreading this trip as the time the teeter-totter floats back into balance. A cynical but fair assumption is that the team goes 3-6, dropping them back to .500, as has been the see-saw season thus far.

Is the road trip that important? Normally, I’d say no. 10 games is too small a sample to get worried about and, as always, it’s still a bit too early to make judgments about the team as a whole, especially with five regulars still on the DL. However, with attendance waning over the past few weeks and the start-of-the-season excitement wearing down, the Jays could certainly use a boost in crowd support. After this trip, the Jays play 15 of the next 21 at home, a stretch where I’m sure they’d prefer strong home crowds to weak ones.

The trip, then, is a big one for the Jays hitters, pitchers, and fans.

For the hitters, it’s a big test to see if the bats can consistently muster 5 runs a night, or if this team will have to throw complete games the rest of the way for the Jays to have a chance. If the bats disappear again for this trip, it’s pretty safe to say it’s an unreliable crew, at your most complimentary.

For the pitchers, it’s a chance to firmly assert your status as the best staff in baseball. May ends this week, and nobody can deny that two months is a fine sample size for judging talent – there should be no monstrous surprises or aberrations remaining at this point, Chipper Jones aside. The world should have come partially into balance by now, so the success of the Jays’ staff is now out there for everyone to accept as a reality. A solid road trip, two starts a piece for the rotation, should emphatically communicate that the Jays’ staff is to be feared.

And for the fans, it’s a chance to really get a grip on how this season is going to shake down. A strong trip, especially in the last series against the Yankees, should improve attendance for the big home stand that follows. Right now, people seem cautiously optimistic about the upswing in performance, and a successful road trip could turn the finicky Jays fans into full blown playoffs hysteria (not a bad thing).

So the pressure is on, Toronto. Three stiff opponents, twice through the rotation, just one off day, and nine important games. A normal road trip and you could accept a 4-5 record, but not this time. It’s 5-4 or bust on this trip, at least if you don’t want another month of ‘this team is too inconsistent’ articles.