Things that were good

• The whole series. Everything. Everything about that was good. I mean, that isn’t actually the case, because it wasn’t perfect, but the Jays looked like a contender over this series against the Reds. They clubbed them to death on Monday with one of the best offensive performances the franchise has ever seen, and they rallied in a couple of gritty efforts on Tuesday and Wednesday to complete the sweep.
• Marcus Stroman was damn good on Monday, though, like I said, he didn’t have to be. He went six strong, allowing just two runs on five hits against a Reds club with a good lineup. That was ideal because the Jays ‘pen worked quite a bit over the weekend, and the team needed Stro to go deep.
• J.A. Happ had a decent start, but received a lot of help from the defence. He only went four innings, but that’s all you can expect from a guy who missed over a month and only had one rehab start. The positive here, of course, is that he felt no pain at all during the outing.
• Mike Bolsinger was also very good in what could be his final start as a Blue Jay. With Francisco Liriano coming back Friday and Joe Biagini pitching so well as a starter, Bolsinger is likely the odd man out. That said, he made a good case for himself with seven strikeouts over a gutsy five-and-one-third inning performance on Wednesday.
• The ‘pen was excellent again this series, especially on Tuesday in relief of Happ. Over Tuesday and Wednesday’s games, the relievers had to go eight-and-two-thirds, but only allowed three runs. Jason Grilli had a scoreless inning, and looks better after a poor start to the season. Roberto Osuna’s save on Wednesday was damn impressive, as Ryan Goins made life difficult for him but he didn’t rattle at all.
• And the bats, of course, were great. Jose Bautista went 5-for-11 and hit the ball hard multiple times. Kendrys Morales and Devon Travis each had big two-run homers. Jose Donaldson hit a ridiculous bomb to the fifth deck. Tulo clubbed his second grand slam as a Blue Jay. It really was a sight to behold. This lineup is starting to look like the team from 2015, and it’s great.
• There were a few amazing defensive efforts, especially on Tuesday, that helped the Jays get a win. Zeke Carrera sprawled out and caught a ball, saving some runs, and Troy Tulowitzki made a beautiful snag at short to bail out J.A. Happ. The pitching is already good on its own, but with great gloves behind them, the Jays are a tough team to score against.
• Also, this work by the Sportsnet broadcast team was amazing…

Things that weren’t good

• Hmmmmm… Not much! When you sweep a team and score 28 runs over three games, there isn’t much to whine about. Kevin Pillar had an ugly week, I guess. He didn’t play Wednesday, but went 0-for-8 somehow in the two other games. Also, Goins’ error in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game was a thing of nightmares. Otherwise? Fuck it. That was a good time.

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