Toronto Blue Jays: 5 biggest surprises so far this season

2) Team pitching is below par

When you consider all the doubts heading into this season, the rotation was not expected to be among them. And with good reason.

The Blue Jays had a projected starting rotation of J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada, Stroman and Jaime Garcia. What could possibly go wrong?

Unfortunately, the answer is pretty much everything. We’ve already discussed Stroman’s struggles, but unfortunately for the Blue Jays, this has extended to the entire rotation.

Sanchez has an ERA of 4.14, but this is the best among the starting five. More generally speaking, while the bar is admittedly pretty high, he is nowhere near the form he showed during his sensational 2016 campaign.

Happ has been arguably the Blue Jays’ best pitcher so far as the only one with a winning record, along with an impressive 11.20 strikeouts per nine innings. However, even he has had his struggles, as highlighted by Thursday’s battering at the hands of the Seattle Mariners, when he allowed 10 hits and seven earned runs in just 3.1 innings of action.

Meanwhile, Estrada is looking his age and Garcia has been poor in his position as the fifth starter. As you’d expect, these failings are reflected in the overall stats, when compared to the rest of the league.

Among all MLB starting rotations, the Blue jays have the third-worst ERA as of May 10. They’ve allowed the third-most runs and fourth-most hits, along with the third-most walks.

To complete this tale of woe, the starters have the league’s third-highest WHIP, while allowing the fourth-highest batting average. However, before you give up all hope, let’s end on a positive…