Opinion time: How are you feeling about the Jays?

The Blue Jays have a day off, and we have a new format (we’ll get used to it I’m sure), I thought it would be a good time to check in with everyone and see how we are feeling about our team.

April was terrible, but May has seen a bit of a turn around. We have a little 3-game win streak going. And Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki, they tell us, are going to be back for this weekend’s series with the Rangers. I’ve learned not to believe these things until I see the player on the field.

Jose Bautista is hitting (I’m very happy that I don’t have to hear that he’s finished anymore, I hope, this time, we’ll learn not to rush to judgement). Devon Travis is hitting. Kevin Pillar is hitting. Even Justin Smoak is hitting.

We still have 3 members of our starting rotation with the DL. J.A. Happ is starting his rehab assignment, he’s to make 2 or 3 rehab starts (all going well) and then would rejoin the team. Francisco Liriano is also about to start his rehab assignment, so he could be back in 15 days or so. Aaron Sanchez? You guess is as good as mine, and likely has good as his.

Gibby does deserve some credit for keeping the team afloat while all these guys have been out of the lineup, but then he loses some points for the stupid bunting. He’s been riding the bullpen pitchers, who have been throwing well, pretty hard, but he hasn’t had much choice there. His starters haven’t been pitching deep into games and he’s had far too many close games. Last year, Ross Atkins remade the bullpen mid-season. He may have to do it again this year.

He’s done a lot more playing with the lineup than any manager would like. Putting in Russell Martin and Jose Bautista at third base was, either inspired or stupid, I’m not sure which, but desperate times calls or desperate measures. It certainly isn’t something every manager would do.

We had just a terrible April, but we are ‘just’ 5 games under .500. We are in a division which has no one running away from the pack. And we are getting Josh and Troy back. Which is sort of like a trade deadline deal, just a couple of months early.

It could be worse. If we can keep fairly level until we get some of the starting pitchers back, and if we get to the All-Star break within a couple games of .500, we could still have an interesting end to the season.

Like every season, we’ve heard ‘season’s over’ a couple of hundred times. I never understand the point of saying that. There is no prize, even if you are right. And, well, half the fun of baseball is that strange things happen every year.