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The Jays didn’t have the busiest schedule last week, only playing five games in seven days. They played two games in Boston and split them with one win each, and then took two of three in Tampa against the Rays.
Despite the somewhat light schedule, there was a lot of news that came out last week. Some of which was good, while some weren’t. Let’s start with the most concerning news of the week, involving the Blue Jays ace.
Hyun Jin Ryu
Ryu left Sunday’s game in the fourth inning after experiencing some tightness in his lower body, which the team is now calling a minor right groin strain.
Ryu and the team believe that it’s very minor, and it shouldn’t keep him out of the lineup for very long. However, this is a player with an injury history, so taking him out of the game was likely the correct move here. The last thing they want to do is play through it and worsen the injury.
We will know more about the injury in the coming days, but this is not a situation where they should be rushing Ryu back into the lineup before he is anything but 100% healthy.
George Springer
George Springer has still yet to play a game with the Blue Jays as he battles back from injury.
However, after playing a game at their practice site, George Springer looks set to make his return sometime this week. The Jays have an off day on Monday but will be playing host to the Nationals starting Tuesday. We may see Springer’s Blue Jays debut during that series.
Team ERA
The Toronto Blue Jays have played 21 games so far this season and have a 10-11 record. Many believed it would be the offence carrying the team this season while the pitching would struggle.
So far, that just hasn’t been the case.
The Blue Jays currently have a team ERA of 3.04, which is the lowest the franchise has ever had through 21 games of a season. If they can continue the great pitching and get a significant offensive boost with the return of Hernandez into the lineup along with Springer, this could be an extremely tough team to beat.
Looking ahead
This upcoming week will see the Blue Jays once again play just five games in seven nights. Starting with a two-game series against the Nationals starting on Tuesday. They then have an off-day Thursday before hosting the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series beginning Friday.