Kevin Pillar Pulled A Jim Edmonds Last Night
If you use defensive metrics like defensive runs saved, Kevin Pillar was the best defensive centerfielder in the MLB last year. If you use your fuckin’ eyeballs, Kevin Pillar is the best defensive centerfielder in the MLB this year, too. In what has been an incredibly disappointing start to the Toronto Blue Jays’ season, Pillar has been one of their only bright spots, both defensively and at the plate.
As he’s been known to do, Pillar made yet another jaw-dropping catch last night, going full Jim Edmonds to rob Jose Ramirez of extra bases and prevent one, if not two runs from scoring against Marcus Stroman, who ended up with six shutout innings because of this grab. A much needed scoreless start for Stroman, I might add, who had a 5.25 ERA over his last four starts coming into last night. Stroman had allowed 14 earned runs on 30 hits and 7 walks over his last 24 innings, but kept the Tribe scoreless over six frames last night. Just one strikeout, though.
We had been keeping track of all the shitty things that had been happening to the Blue Jays to start the year, from their gross record to all of their big-name players already needing DL stints. Well, add another one to the list, because they placed Russell Martin on the disabled list yesterday with a shoulder injury. However, they’ve kind of turned a corner over the last week and a half or so, winning six of nine. Still got a long way to go to dig themselves out of a hole that had them 11 games under .500 as recently as April 28.
Coming into play today, they’re at 12-20, 10 games back of first place. I know it’s still relatively early, but if you’re Toronto, you have to know that you have three teams well ahead of you who can legitimately compete for a division title this year. It’s going to be extremely difficult for them to make up the necessary ground to actually reclaim the AL East.