The Jays are actually playing pretty well this year, despite how many games back. A few areas they need to improve on which reflects in their record. Their new young GM is doing a very good job. They picked up a stud shortstop in Yunel Escobar recently from the Braves in a trade and this team is on the right path with a lot of young great pitching talent. What has really hurt them is that they do not bat for average so they struggle to get men on base and the bullpen has been very inconsistent.
While it is very exciting that they are hitting home runs left and right, in the long run it is not a winning baseball strategy. However, if you take the Blue Jays out of the AL East (best division baseball) they would be competing with the rest of the AL for a division title. They still have a shot at a wild card. They just won a division series against the Yankees and Rays this past week and have been playing well since the all-star break. But in all honesty, they have a better shot at beating the HR record than making the playoffs.
