The Toronto Blue Jays are off to their best start in recent memory, and everyone is trying to figure out why and how.
Is it the young pitching staff coming through? Did Cito Gaston and Gene Tenace get magical wood for the bats? Are they using oversized gloves in the field?
Not really sure those are the answers, and you don't want to be a cynic when cheering for the home team, but the reason the Jays are 10-4 to start the season might have more to do with their opponents than anything else.
The Jays opened the season against the Detroit Tigers, who were supposed to be a favorite in the American League Central. The Tigers have been slow starters the past couple of seasons, and this year was no different. The Jays managed to rack up some unexpected runs and got good starting pitching from the top of the staff and took three of four from the Tigers.
The Jays continued their trip through the American League Central with a seven-game road trip to Cleveland and Minnesota.
The Indians were another team many considered the best of the AL Central. Unfortunately for Tribe fans, manager Eric Wedge hasn't been able to turn his talented lineup into a winning lineup, and the Jays took advantage. Building big leads, with timely hitting from Adam Lind, Travis Snider, and Marco Scutaro (?), and letting the bullpen do its job, they managed to win two of three against the Indians.
After leaving Cleveland, the Jays traveled to Minnesota and took three of four from the Twins. The Jays' romp through the AL Central was complete. The offense was once again the driving force, scoring 31 runs in four games. The pitching didn't disappoint either behind great starts from the young staff.
If it wasn't for the Florida Marlins and the openings of both of the new New York stadiums, people might be talking about the Jays.
The Jays made it back home for a three-game stint against their first opponent from another division, the Oakland A's.
The Athletics are a young team, both pitching and hitting wise. Although they have the potential to compete for the AL West title, they won't be able to keep up a close to .500 record with the offence playing like it is (three home runs so far this season), and the Jays took advantage. Behind strong starts from Ricky Romero and Brian Tallet, the Jays took two of three from the A's.
So, that's where the Toronto Blue Jays sit a couple of weeks into the season, with the best record in the American League, leading in almost every offensive category—but can they keep it up? The real tests are around the corner, and they need all the wins possible against the teams they are "supposed" to beat to have a chance in a division where 95 wins might not get you into the playoffs.
As we get deeper into the season, fans will begin to expect more from the young Blue Jays team, and if the young hitters like Lind and Snider can continue their torrid pace and the pitching staff holds opponents down, things like being ranked sixth in the SI.com power rankings might not seem so surprising.
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