What happened?

Things that were good

• Marco Estrada had another very good start, tossing seven innings of three-run ball. That’s back-to-back starts in which Estrada has managed to make it through seven innings, scattering a combined nine hits and three walks. Considering the two months he had before the trade deadline, these last two starts (more so the one against the Astros than the White Sox) have been very encouraging.
• Though the Toronto Sun may suggest he’s an issue, Marcus Stroman is, in fact, very good. And he was very good again on Sunday. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to pick up the win, but Stroman held Houston to two earned runs over six-and-two-thirds innings, which isn’t an easy thing to do. He did allow 11 hits, but managed to work his way out of jams by keeping the ball on the ground and picking up strikeouts in key situations.
• Nori Aoki made a mark in Sunday’s game clubbing a go-ahead homer off of his old team. It ended up not mattering at all because the leas was blown, but still, this was a great moment.

Things that weren’t good

• Cesar Valdez got lit up again, and has now allowed 12 earned runs over his last two starts. Obviously making the playoffs is a long shot for this team, but the Jays can’t keep rolling Valdez out there if he’s going to get drilled like he was by the Angels and Astros in his last two outings. That said, there aren’t really any other options since the Francisco Liriano trade and Aaron Sanchez’s blister issues.
• Obviously the worst part of this weekend was Roberto Osuna’s rough outing on Sunday afternoon. Losing the game was one thing, but the way it went down is another animal. Osuna’s fastball usage and velocity are down recently, which suggests that this might be the tip of the iceberg on a much, much greater issue.

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