{"id":5290,"date":"2017-04-25T14:37:14","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T18:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=5290"},"modified":"2017-04-25T14:37:14","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T18:37:14","slug":"blue-jays-vs-cardinals-important-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/04\/25\/blue-jays-vs-cardinals-important-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays vs. Cardinals an Important Test for Toronto"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays have endured a less-than-stellar start to the 2017 season. The 5-14 Blue Jays are already 8.5 games back of the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles, and it’s only April 25th. Monday’s 2-1 loss against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in Anaheim was another dagger in the hearts of Jays fans, who are hoping that their club will get back on track soon. The “it’s still early” and “it’s an 82-game season” comments might turn to real panic if the Blue Jays don’t turn the ship around in the next few weeks. The Jays have a real opportunity to build confidence and momentum when they head to St. Louis on Tuesday to open up a three-game series against the red-hot Cardinals, who’ve won six out of their last seven games.<\/p>\n

Blue Jays vs. Cardinals an Important Test for Toronto<\/h2>\n

Offensive Struggles<\/h3>\n

The Blue Jays offense has been an integral part of their success over the last few years, especially in 2015<\/a> when the Jays led the majors in runs and home runs. This year<\/a> has been a completely different story, with the Jays sitting 29th in the league in runs and 23rd in home runs. Stars like Russell Martin<\/a><\/strong>, Devon Travis<\/a><\/strong>, Jose Bautista<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0and Steve Pearce<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0are all batting well below .200, which is a recipe for disaster for a team that’s as injury-riddled <\/a>as the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

The series against the Cardinals will provide a few opportunities for the Jays to get their bats in order, with Michael Wacha<\/a><\/strong>, Carlos Martinez<\/a><\/strong>, and Adam Wainwright<\/a><\/strong> pitching for the Cardinals in the series. According the ESPN’s Bat vs Pitch stat, batters on the Jays roster (including the injured Josh Donaldson<\/a><\/strong> and Troy Tulowitzki<\/a><\/strong>) have eight hits in 23 at-bats against Martinez, and 42 hits in 133 at-bats against Wainwright.<\/p>\n

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A look ahead at the @Cardinals<\/a>' next series against the Blue Jays. #STLCards<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YYRZx4wkjS<\/a><\/p>\n

— FanDuel Sports Network Midwest (@FanDuelSN_MW) April 23, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n