First AL East Battle of 2022

 Simon B

The Blue Jays opened the 2022 season with a series win over the Texas Rangers. This was the first opening day at Rogers Center for the Jays since the 2019 season and a lot has changed since then. While that opening series told us a lot about what this team can do, they played a team that just isn't going to be playing at the level the Jays are looking to be at this year. 

However, they get to play the Yankees for four games this week and I think this series will give us a good early look at how most specifically the pitching staff will fair against a top-class offense.

Bullpen Limitations

The Jays pitchers had to cover 27 innings and only 8.2 innings were played by starting pitchers with Kevin Gausman going 5 decent innings on Saturday for his first start with Toronto. 

That said, the bullpen was the biggest question mark coming into this year and they definitely got some work in and it wasn't very glamorous against a lineup that, with all due respect, doesn't come close to what the Yankees have to offer. Other than their closer Jordan Romano and platoon man Trevor Richards, the delivers got bounced around all over the place.

It's going to be crucial that the four Jays starters go at least 5 innings deep for two reasons:

1. If they are able to go deep into games, the bullpen will get rest to help recover from a busy first weekend

2. I don't really think the Blue Jays have the confidence in their bullpen's ability to face a top-tier lineup. 

It's important to note that if the offense keeps this pace of averaging 7 runs per game (which is a tough task), we can hope that they won't be in dire need of defending close leads which can in turn give the relievers some leeway.

Players To Watch

Alek Manoah: 

Alek loves throwing against the Yankees. He made his big league debut against them back on May 6th of last year and has always been very effective against them. 

What I really like about Manoah is he's an extremely diverse pitcher. He doesn't rely on one pitch. Not only that, but he's a very aggressive pitcher. His confidence allows him to pound the zone with his fastball and sinker then he'll put you away with a slider or get some weak contact with the changeup.

Another thing Manoah did well against New York is that he doesn't allow much hard contact which will make life easier for the defense and hopefully, keeps the ball inside the park in a hitter-friendly park like Yankee Stadium.

Vladimir Guerro Jr: 

Speaking of hard-hit balls, Vladimir Guerreo Jr's exit velocity was in the top 1% in the league against the Yankees. Against Monday's starter Jameson Taillon, Vladdy should thrive as he can stay back on the fastball and drive it up the middle of the other way for a base hit and wait on the offspeed sliders and curveballs to drill out of the park, especially if Taillon is dropping them in the strike zone.

What's a Win?

If the Jays can leave the Bronx with a split, I see that as a win. Early in the season with guys still trying to gain their footing, it's important that everyone gets into the rhythm of the season. Keeping their record above .500 will be good. That way they can come back home and rack up some wins against the A's.

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Images Courtesy of cbssports.com and jaysjournal.com

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