2 days Ago By Frank Zicarelli
The night began with the odds of the Blue Jays making the playoffs pegged at 4.8%. Well before the night’s first pitch was thrown, beleaguered GM Ross Atkins held court lamenting how his hand-picked lineup has been so offensively challenged.
“I just expected us to score more runs,’’ he said. “I think everyone in the building did and we need to find out why that didn’t happen.” When the actual game began, all was well with the Blue Jays, who looked like world-beaters against the AL East-leading New York Yankees, who came into their four-game series looking more like the Blue Jays.
“Ten days ago, we were feeling like there was positive momentum and that has gone away,’’ said Atkins, whose team at the time was one game under .500. “The fact that we are in this position squarely lies with me and I’m accountable for that,” said Atkins.
“All of our energy and focus is on improvement and getting better with the group that is here.” Good on Atkins for coming clean, but this mess of a season requires the kind of work an organization cannot properly address in the short term. “We recognize that we don’t have much time left,” he added.
Following Thursday’s 9-2 win, the Jays improved to 37-44 on the season, while the Bronx Bombers dropped to 52-30 having lost nine of their past 11 games, including four in a row. Against Yankees starter Carlos Rodon, the Blue Jays exploded for five runs in the first inning. Three more would cross home plate in the sec.
