Toronto Wins 10th Straight, Passes Yankees for 1st Place in A.L. East

The New York Yankees picked a bad time to go on five game losing streak. That’s because the Toronto Blue Jays are on a roll. The Jays beat the Oakland Athletics 10-3 on August 12th, and with New York losing 2-1 at Cleveland, Toronto took over the lead in the American League East by a half game over the Yankees.

The Blue Jays went out and picked up some high profile players just before the July 31st trade deadline to improve their chances: mnost notably, lefthander David Price was acquired from Detroit, and that move has paid dividends. Price is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in two starts. He joins a pitching staff that is over achieving. Journeyman Marco Estrada is having a career year at 10-6 with a 3.21 ERA. Drew Hutchinson somehow has an 11-2 record despite a 5.26 ERA, and 36 year old Mark Buehrle continues to have an excellent , though often overlooked career. This season he’s 12-5 with a 3.34 ERA. He’s walked just 22 batters in 148 innings, and four of those were intentional.

The Jays can hit the ball too. Third baseman Josh Donaldson, picked up in a trade with Oakland last November, is hitting .296 with a career high 31 home runs and 85 RBIs. Right fielder Jose Bautista (27 homers, 79 RBIs) and first baseman Edwin Encarnacion (21 HRs, 64RBIs) complete the Big Three of that lineup. Toronto signed veteran catcher Russell Martin as a free agent over the winter and picked up shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from Colorado before the trade deadline. Tulowitzki is an All Star caliber player when he’s not battling injuries, and so far this season he’s been healthy. The Jays have not made the post season since 1993, but they’re in good shape to end that 22 year drought.