Inconsistent Blue Jays are the definition of mediocrity

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At this point, let’s call it contrived optimism.

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It certainly is the narrative being pushed forward for Blue Jays manager John Schneider and it’s a song based both in legitimacy (from some of the recent performances) and necessity (to keep spirits high in an attempt to keep this wobbly season on the rails).

After a well-played weekend series against the Detroit Tigers that still ended up with more losses than wins, the prevailing exasperation at what is happening remains. There has been enough good for some legit optimism as well, even if some days it feels like a stretch.

First, the exasperation.

On the one hand, the Jays lost two of the three games against the scintillating Tigers, each game decided by one run. On the other, it was the team’s fourth series loss in the past five and seventh of nine. You don’t need to be a math major (or analytics guru) to understand where the season is headed if the ongoing inability to take a series continues long enough.

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With a 22-24 record, the Jays are almost the definition of mediocrity at this point, and they have shown it in so many ways.

The best record they have had this season is four games above .500, the worst, four games below. Any semblance of a winning streak is usually followed by a skid the other way.

Inconsistency, particularly on offence, continues to be the primary hindrance to moving forward, and last week was a clear example of this. After scoring nine runs in back-to-back games on Sunday and Tuesday, they scored a total of 14 in the next five.

There is a growing sentiment that the team has some late-game grit, which is true as evidenced by their 12 comeback wins thus far. The unfortunate counter to that admirable work is that they are 4-8 in one-run games.

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“It’s there,” Schneider said on the weekend. “Hopefully it kind of meshes together at some point. It’s been a weird (season to date), where it has been one extreme or the other. These guys will figure it out.

“I think it will come together, and when it does, I think it will be a lot less stressful.”

So what about the optimism part?

There was plenty to like about the Blue Jays’ effort against the Tigers, who with a 31-16 record has the best mark in the majors. Schneider’s bullpen day strategy on Saturday worked to perfection, for one day at least, allowing observers to ignore that the team is somehow still without a fifth starter. Clutch late-game hits by Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement (with the walk-off game-winner), showed some admirable competitiveness.

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On the other hand, had the Tigers not issued an intentional walk to Anthony Santander — the coldest hitter in the Jays lineup — perhaps the Tigers would have swept the series, completely dulling whatever optimism the Blue Jays derived from their efforts.

The other source of positivity stems from the fact that the middling performances by so many teams in the American League have kept the Jays close enough that a hot streak could change the outlook dramatically.

Banking on that is risky business, especially for a team that has lost four of six on this season-long home stand, with the 27-18 San Diego Padres coming to town for three more.

Contrived optimism for a glass half-full view on an off day for the Jays? At least the Padres have dropped their previous three.

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TONY TROUBLES

The struggles of Santander range from vexing to alarming, the latter being the potentially prevailing view if his woeful struggles don’t end sometime soon.

This much is clear: 46 games into the season (41 of which Santander has been in the starting in the lineup) means the “slow starter” excuse has long since expired.

With 44 strikeouts and just five home runs, it is arguably the worst stretch of his big-league career, certainly it is in the past handful of seasons.

Santander returned to the Jays lineup on Sunday after missing a handful of games due to a sore shoulder, a sore hip and a bonus night off for a mental break. The latter absence suggested clear evidence that the struggles are wearing on the 30-year-old slugger, signed by the Jays to a five-year, $92.5 million US contract.

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The recent physical setbacks certainly didn’t help Santander’s quest to find some rhythm at the plate. While Schneider maintains that he has liked the way Santander is swinging the bat, Santander was 0-for-4 on Sunday with three strikeouts in a game where the team was in desperate need of a big-time hit.

It was always expected that there would be some hit and miss in Santander’s game, with the upside being legit, game-changing power. The longer the latter goes missing, the tougher it will be for the Jays offence to get right consistently.

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