The end of a crazy week in Toronto

This afternoon, the Blue Jays lost (7-6) to the Phillies. The game went 12 innings and ended in favor of the home team.

And what you need to know is that this marks the end of a big week in Toronto. A lot has happened on the field.

First, the team was a seller at the trade deadline. On the flight to Houston, Kevin Gausman was the first player to be traded. Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman followed.

The team then played seven games in three different cities—a rare occurrence in a single week in Major League Baseball.

But it goes deeper than that.

On Wednesday in Houston, the game went into the 10th inning. On Thursday in Chicago, it went to 11 innings. Friday's game in Philly started late due to rain. And both games over the weekend went to the 11th and 12th innings.

They were thrilling games… but the pitchers are burned out. 874 pitches in five days is way too many.

It's unsustainable.

The good news is that the team has won four of its seven games. It's had a positive week in terms of the standings.

But they're still four games back (before the series against Texas wraps up) from a playoff spot.

Even though it's been a good week, I really don't think a team that traded away pitchers at the deadline (even though Gausman and Hoffman weren't having the seasons of their lives) has the resources to climb back up the standings.

Especially when the team has been struggling for four months and the coming days will test their depth on the mound.

I know most fans see the Blue Jays' season as a lost cause, but I'm saying this for those who still believe: it's going to take a lot more to get back into the playoff race.

And for now, I don't believe in it at all. The trend over the last four months outweighs the team's recent exciting week (on the field).

Created by humans, assisted by AI.