Toronto Blue Jays: How to change their season around

The Toronto Blue Jays haven’t had the start to 2018 they envisioned back during spring training, but it’s not too late for them to turn the season around.

You’ll see a lot of articles saying it’s time to fire John Gibbons, time to blow up the Toronto Blue Jays roster, time to call-up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. However, none of these options are the right ones just yet.

It’s not even halfway through the season yet, and people already want to say it’s already over.

However, when it’s just the start of June, there’s still time to figure things out. The Blue Jays are currently fourth in the division and are a long ways away from catching up.

But if Toronto has any hope of getting back into the playoff race, this is the month to do it.

The Blue Jays have 26 games to play during June. If the team goes 16-10 record for the month, they will be one game below .500 and digging them out of this hole they’ve put themselves in.

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The big reason the Blue Jays are struggling is because of their starting pitching. They rank 24th in team ERA with a 4.73. Turning that around starts with the performance of Aaron Sanchez and Marco Estrada.

Sanchez is the biggest surprise of under-performers in the starting rotation. He currently owns a 4.77 ERA with a 1.56 WHIP. His last three starts show he is progressing back to the pitcher we all know he can be. And yes, I do realize Sanchez gave up seven runs last time out against the Red Sox. But what goes unnoticed is he only had one walk, while recording four strikeouts.

The Blue Jays will rely on Sanchez to continue to progress back to his 2016 form, in order to lower their team ERA. Estrada was also pitching a lot better before his last two starts. Before then, he had three consecutive performances where he pitched six innings or more.

If he can regain that form, in addition to Sanchez’s improved performance, this will help propel the team out of the current mess they’re in.

Injuries have also plagued this team for about a month now. Getting back Aledmys Diaz and Randal Grichuk is a big boost for the Blue Jays. But they are still missing their ace pitcher, Marcus Stroman.

Stroman has been on the disabled list since May 11, but could return shortly in the coming weeks. He has shown in past seasons he can carry the rotation.

So when Stroman comes back, the team will need him to do so again. If he can quickly return to his regular self, the Blue Jays will find themselves back in the hunt for October.

If the Blue Jays have a good showing in the month of June, this will easily help them forget about the awful month of May they had. This team is good enough to make it into October. But they just need to start showing it.

Next: Blue Jays: John Gibbons not to blame for team’s struggles

What do you think it will take for the Blue Jays to turn their season around? And how realistic is such a recovery? Share your comments below.