What to watch from the Blue Jays’ remaining stretch of meaningless September baseball

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Published Sep 02, 2024  •  4 minute read

Blue Jays starting pitcher Bowden Francis pitches in the first inning against the Angels at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. Photo by Cole Burston /Getty Images

When September baseball turns meaningless — as difficult as that is to do with a competently constructed team in these days of Major League Baseball’s expanded post season — fan interest wanes.

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How could it not?

The behemoth fan experience that is the NFL starts, the kids are back to school and, as it pertains to the Blue Jays, next thing you know NHL training camps start.

So what’s in it for Jays fans for the remaining 23 contests of a season long ago gone nowhere? About the same as what you’ve seen the past month — a bunch of motivated young players auditioning for a future in the organization via playing opportunity in pressure-free situations.

It’s far from ideal for a fan base that has been building in frustration for three seasons now and wearying of the hollow promises of an under-delivering front office. Enjoy those getting an opportunity to play, sure, just don’t read too much into what you see — good or bad.

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As always in baseball, there’s plenty to pay attention to, even if there isn’t enough to salvage a season that has turned sour.

Our look at what awaits for the play-out-the-string Jays:

DREAMING OF .500?

Dare to dream, I suppose.

While it’s not out of the question and an admirable target, with a record of 67-72 following an August that that was the team’s only winning month of the season, getting to .500 if far from guaranteed.

The Jays would have to go 14-9 to reach the level mark, which means they’ll have to be better than the mostly credible 16-12 record they compiled in August, albeit one bloated by a 7-0 record against the miserable Los Angeles Angels.

Though the team has been on the track for a sub-.500 season for months, it’s still difficult to stomach for a fan base promised much better from a team that recorded 89, 92 and 91 wins the previous three seasons, respectively.

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The first 11 of the remaining games are against teams that currently have winning records, including a pair against the NL East-leading Phillies beginning Tuesday at Rogers Centre.

TRACKING VLAD

After a rest day on Sunday in Minnesota and an off day Monday, can Vladimir Guerrero Jr. be set to launch into the closing stretch and finish one of the better statistical seasons of his career?

With 27 home runs, Guerrero is well within range to surpass the 32 he banged out in 2022, a total that still would be well below the mammoth 2021 output of 48, but would be the second-best of his career.

Guerrero, who has spent much of the summer hitting as well as he has in his career, has 89 RBI so far, giving him a shot at surpassing his career best of 111 (in 2021) and in line to easily cruise past the 94 of last season.

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And perhaps indicative of the current success, with just 83 strikeouts Guerrero could finish with a single-season low in that department (100 in 2023.)

In a broader sense, it will be difficult not to think of the next 12 months with Guerrero, the player who has been the cornerstone of the franchise since he broke into the major leagues in 2019. So much of the next 12 months will be about Vlad’s future and Jays ownership’s willingness to push hard for a long-term deal for the 25-year-old superstar.

WHO NEEDS TICKETS?

The marketing department will be working overtime to fill the Rogers Centre seats for the 14 home dates in August, traditionally a softer-selling month for the team, regardless of form.

Wednesday’s matinee against the Phillies looks like it will be a season-low and there are some other light-looking dates as well. Tuesday’s opener of the mini two-game set doesn’t look much better, even with that timeless allure of $1 hot dogs.

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This is no surprise, of course, given that the summer months are the big attraction dates and September often relies on the prospect of a playoff push to fill the seats.

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Zooming out, what will be of greater interest is how the fallout of a disappointing season affects advance ticket sales for 2025. Will a restless fan base adopt a wait-and-see approach before they pay elevated prices for a downward-trending team?

Meanwhile, a scheduling oddity may not exactly help sales for the remainder of this season. Four of the five home opponents are National League foes, including a season-ending three-game set against the 51-win Miami Marlins, a team even family members may be reluctant to watch in person these days.

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FUTURE ACE?

Other than Guerrero’s fabulous summer, the late-season sensation of Bowden Francis has been one of the best feel-good stories on a team that has needed it.

The four-game stretch of Francis — that twice included flirtation with a no-hitter — has been remarkable as he compiled a 1.05 ERA in August as he dealt 39 strikeouts in his 34.1 innings of work.

As much as Jays fans (and management) would like to see Francis duplicate his amazing August — and who, knows, he might? — it also will be interesting to see how he rebounds the next time he struggles.

Francis has come a long way since the start of the season and is one of the legit excellent developments with the team in 2024.

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