The Toronto Blue Jays have played impressive baseball at times this year, putting the league on notice as they continue to push towards a playoff spot.
But there have also been some inexplicable struggles against some questionable opponents.
The Blue Jays dropped their most recent series against the Kansas City Royals after an extra-inning meltdown on Sunday.
Recently acquired reliever Seranthony Dominguez came on to pitch the 10th inning of a 2-2 ball game and failed to record an out, allowing three runs and departing with two runners on - both of which came around to score in an eventual 7-4 victory for Kansas City.
That continued an unusual trend for the Jays, who are tied with the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the American League.
The Blue Jays have fared the worst against 'bad' teams this season - teams who are more than two games below .500. They've had their most success against 'mediocre' teams - teams within two games of .500 and have fared very well against the best teams in the majors - teams two or more games above .500.
Blue Jays' record by opponent tier
| Opponent tier | Blue Jays' record vs. | Winning percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Good (more than two games above .500) | 29-22 | .569 |
| Mediocre (within two games of .500) | 10-5 | .667 |
| Bad (more than two games below .500) | 26-21 | .553 |
The Royals are sitting at 56-56 entering play on Monday, which would put them in the mediocre tier. However, Kansas City sits four games out of the final wild-card slot in the AL and have to surpass two other teams to qualify for the postseason.
They face long odds to qualify for the playoffs and pose no threat to the Blue Jays at this time.
If the parameters for a 'good' team are focused in to only list teams that currently occupy a postseason slot, then the Blue Jays are still very strong.
Blue Jays record vs. playoff teams
| Opponent tier | Blue Jays' record vs. | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Playoff team | 27-21 | .562 |
| Non-playoff team | 38-27 | .585 |
Of the 12 teams that hold a playoff spot entering Monday's action, the Blue Jays rank third in winning percentage against fellow playoff teams.
Toronto is also just one of four teams to hold a positive winning percentage against teams currently in a playoff spot.
Could these teams be best suited for playoff success?
| Team | Record vs. playoff opponents | Winning percentage vs. playoff opponents |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 23-14 | .622 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 24-15 | .615 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 27-21 | .562 |
| New York Mets | 20-17 | .541 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 21-21 | .500 |
| Seattle Mariners | 21-22 | .488 |
| Chicago Cubs | 21-24 | .467 |
| Detroit Tigers | 17-20 | .459 |
| New York Yankees | 21-25 | .457 |
| Boston Red Sox | 20-24 | .455 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 18-24 | .429 |
| San Diego Padres | 16-24 | .400 |
A lot of the Blue Jays' success in this category is owed to their strong play against their divisional opponents.
The AL East boasts the top team in the American League and the top two wild-card teams, and the Blue Jays have a combined record against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees of 14-6 this season.
Toronto stretched their lead over the Yankees significantly in the month of July, winning six of seven games between the two teams. The Blue Jays were obviously encouraged by their results against the Yankees, but the team felt it encapsulated what they do well and how they're built to win games come October.
"Every single day, they're working their absolute butts off, and then they go out there and they're giving effort," said pitcher Chris Bassitt of Toronto's positions players. "Extremely old school, I would say.
"If you know me, I'm a fan of old school. I love this team."
The Yankees have struggled on the opposite end, as manager Aaron Boone noted.
"In these two series, we've given them too many outs and it's cost us," said Boone. "You can't give good teams extra outs.
"And, again, that's what we've done in these two series."
The Blue Jays still have one more series to play against the Red Sox and Yankees before the seasons ends, and they prepare for a tough task in back-to-back series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs in the next week.
