The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the golf course earlier than expected, with the Florida Panthers winning the pivotal game #7 of round #2 in front of a packed crowd at the Scotiabank Arena. It was a 6-1 drubbing that had fans leaving the game early and reeling in the subsequent fallout on social media.
With the Leafs now on the sidelines, all the attention for the summer will turn towards the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto FC, who sit 13th in the Eastern Conference. Considering this site focuses on the Blue Jays, you can likely see why we talk about one team more than the other.
For those of you donning your Jays jerseys for the first time this season, things aren&#8217;t necessarily that much better down the street at the Rogers Centre. The Jays sit third in the AL East with a 22-24 record and while they&#8217;ve won six of their last ten games, their season so far has been a rollercoaster stemming from the close games (both won and lost) and the mish-mash of offensive highs and lows that have plagued the team in 2025.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Toronto Teams Supporting Toronto Teams 🤝 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/6dRv67fars">pic.twitter.com/6dRv67fars</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1924258139035103388?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Blue Jays offense comes and goes like the Bay of Fundy, a turbulent motion that sometimes sees them pour on nine runs in a game or a close contest where they can&#8217;t seem to plate more than a handful, meaning the pitching needs to be tight for Toronto to secure the win. The pitching staff is not without their warts either, but some names have been a godsend so far this season and one of the reasons the club isn&#8217;t sitting directly beside the Baltimore Orioles and their 15-30 record to start the campaign.
Individually, the offense is running through George Springer and his 137 OPS+, while Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have been taking charge at the top of the lineup to mixed results. Daulton Varsho&#8217;s return has seen his power help this offense, but he&#8217;s yet to find a rhythm at the plate when it comes to anything that isn&#8217;t over the wall. If you need a hero, Alejandro Kirk will deliver with his clutch factor, and outfielders Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw have filled in nicely when Varsho was away. Disappointingly, Anthony Santander hasn&#8217;t found his power stroke at the plate yet, even with the calendar turning over into May. He owns a .572 OPS with just a .182 average and five home runs while missing some time with various minor injuries. Some other key names like Will Wagner, Davis Schneider, and Alan Roden started the year in the big leagues only to return to triple-A when they struggled to hit. Overall, there have been some positives, but also a lot left to be desired from a team that is looking to contend.
On the pitching side, Chris Bassitt is leading the charge with his 3.16 ERA and 128 ERA+, while the remaining starters have struggled to find consistency this season. Bowden Francis leads the league in home runs allowed (14), Kevin Guasman and Jose Berrios have mixed outings where they look like Cy Young contenders one day and then lose it shortly after. The fifth spot in the rotation has been left open for the taking, with Max Scherzer landing on the IL out of the gate and a host of names trying to run away with the opportunity.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
SAY HIS NAME AND HE APPEARS 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/ut8nYvQQed">pic.twitter.com/ut8nYvQQed</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1923849528064491833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
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One bright spot has been in the bullpen, where the likes of Brendon Little, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, Mason Fluharty, and Yariel Rodriguez are giving the Jays some solid outings. Jeff Hoffman was thriving to start the year, but has struggled these past two weeks to the tune of an elevated 5.75 ERA, and the Jays are missing Nick Sandlin, who was shoving to a 2.84 FIP before landing on the IL as well. The remaining spots in the pen have been in flux from the get-go, with a host of players like Richard Lovelady, Dillon Tate, Josh Walker, Casey Lawrence, Jacob Barnes, and Paxton Schultz coming and going. The Jays currently employ Jose Urena and Braydon Fisher at the moment, and while Urena&#8217;s time has been less than optimal, Fisher is providing some solid outings early, allowing just three hits and zero earned runs while striking out six across five innings. Some help is likely on the horizon in Spencer Turnbull, who is getting into game shape, but that&#8217;s not imminent.
Now that you&#8217;re caught up to speed, the Jays&#8217; schedule is going to be tough through May and into early June, with Toronto facing postseason-contending teams (or at least clubs that are over .500 already) in the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Minnesota Twins, while also travelling to Tampa to face the Rays at their minor league park (while Tropicana Field is getting fixed).
It won&#8217;t be smooth sailing for the Jays over the next few weeks, but if they want to be a playoff worthy team, these are series they will need to win.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the golf course earlier than expected, with the Florida Panthers winning the pivotal game #7 of round #2 in front of a packed crowd at the Scotiabank Arena. It was a 6-1 drubbing that had fans leaving the game early and reeling in the subsequent fallout on social media.

With the Leafs now on the sidelines, all the attention for the summer will turn towards the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto FC, who sit 13th in the Eastern Conference. Considering this site focuses on the Blue Jays, you can likely see why we talk about one team more than the other.

For those of you donning your Jays jerseys for the first time this season, things aren't necessarily that much better down the street at the Rogers Centre. The Jays sit third in the AL East with a 22-24 record and while they've won six of their last ten games, their season so far has been a rollercoaster stemming from the close games (both won and lost) and the mish-mash of offensive highs and lows that have plagued the team in 2025.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1924258139035103388

The Blue Jays offense comes and goes like the Bay of Fundy, a turbulent motion that sometimes sees them pour on nine runs in a game or a close contest where they can't seem to plate more than a handful, meaning the pitching needs to be tight for Toronto to secure the win. The pitching staff is not without their warts either, but some names have been a godsend so far this season and one of the reasons the club isn't sitting directly beside the Baltimore Orioles and their 15-30 record to start the campaign.

Individually, the offense is running through George Springer and his 137 OPS+, while Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have been taking charge at the top of the lineup to mixed results. Daulton Varsho's return has seen his power help this offense, but he's yet to find a rhythm at the plate when it comes to anything that isn't over the wall. If you need a hero, Alejandro Kirk will deliver with his clutch factor, and outfielders Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw have filled in nicely when Varsho was away. Disappointingly, Anthony Santander hasn't found his power stroke at the plate yet, even with the calendar turning over into May. He owns a .572 OPS with just a .182 average and five home runs while missing some time with various minor injuries. Some other key names like Will Wagner, Davis Schneider, and Alan Roden started the year in the big leagues only to return to triple-A when they struggled to hit. Overall, there have been some positives, but also a lot left to be desired from a team that is looking to contend.

On the pitching side, Chris Bassitt is leading the charge with his 3.16 ERA and 128 ERA+, while the remaining starters have struggled to find consistency this season. Bowden Francis leads the league in home runs allowed (14), Kevin Guasman and Jose Berrios have mixed outings where they look like Cy Young contenders one day and then lose it shortly after. The fifth spot in the rotation has been left open for the taking, with Max Scherzer landing on the IL out of the gate and a host of names trying to run away with the opportunity.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1923849528064491833

One bright spot has been in the bullpen, where the likes of Brendon Little, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green, Mason Fluharty, and Yariel Rodriguez are giving the Jays some solid outings. Jeff Hoffman was thriving to start the year, but has struggled these past two weeks to the tune of an elevated 5.75 ERA, and the Jays are missing Nick Sandlin, who was shoving to a 2.84 FIP before landing on the IL as well. The remaining spots in the pen have been in flux from the get-go, with a host of players like Richard Lovelady, Dillon Tate, Josh Walker, Casey Lawrence, Jacob Barnes, and Paxton Schultz coming and going. The Jays currently employ Jose Urena and Braydon Fisher at the moment, and while Urena's time has been less than optimal, Fisher is providing some solid outings early, allowing just three hits and zero earned runs while striking out six across five innings. Some help is likely on the horizon in Spencer Turnbull, who is getting into game shape, but that's not imminent.

Now that you're caught up to speed, the Jays' schedule is going to be tough through May and into early June, with Toronto facing postseason-contending teams (or at least clubs that are over .500 already) in the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Minnesota Twins, while also travelling to Tampa to face the Rays at their minor league park (while Tropicana Field is getting fixed).

It won't be smooth sailing for the Jays over the next few weeks, but if they want to be a playoff worthy team, these are series they will need to win.

<hr />

<a href="https://betway.com/en/sports/grp/baseball/usa/mlb">All Toronto Blue Jays odds are brought to you by MLB betting site Betway</a>!

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With the Maple Leafs eliminated, the pressure turns to the Toronto Blue Jays

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