Poor start hasn't doomed season, yet

The Blue Jays don’t have the look or feel of a playoff team, and yet despite their anemic offence, a wildcard spot is still well within reach. They have Rob Manfred’s expanded post-season format to thank for that.

- GREGOR CHISHOLM

Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi throws out a runner at first base during Tuesday night's game against the Brewers in Milwaukee. Kikuchi struck out five over five scoreless innings.

TODAY

Blue Jays at Brewers

2 p.m. Sportsnet

Entering Tuesday, the Jays were a disappointing 32-34 and one game above the Tampa Bay Rays for last spot in the American League East. They were also just three games back of the Minnesota Twins for the third wild card.

While in some ways it feels like the Jays were written off a while ago, summer hasn’t started and the season is far from over. Sluggish play aside, the Jays remain in the mix and are a hot stretch or two away from regaining control.

That’s almost hard to believe considering how poorly they have played for most of the year. Entering Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Jays were averaging 3.91 runs per game, sixth lowest in the majors. The bullpen was outperforming only three teams with a 4.83 ERA.

On most nights, the only thing this team has going for it is a strong starting rotation. José Berríos, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman consistently give their team a chance to win but far too often an underperforming lineup fails to take advantage.