Toronto Blue Jays

As we head into the dog days of August, Jays fans are just now starting to get excited over the prospects of this team.

Usually around this time of year, it's the lull in the schedule where teams usually just try and play out the string until September, but for the Jays, things look completely different.

The Jays are fighting game in and game out, and are 57-55 in 102 games this season. The team was expected to maybe win at most 75 games this season, so they are definitely ahead of expectations.

Brett Lawrie, 2B Toronto Blue Jays (23 percent owned in Yahoo, 22.7 percent in ESPN)

Current Stat Line: 2/4, 1 RBI

Brett Lawrie has finally arrived! He tore up AAA pitching this season going .353/64/18/61/13. In my opinion, the call-up should have happened much earlier—but it didn't. Then Lawrie suffered a hand injury on May 31st which kept him out of the game for a while. Now that it is completely healed, expect him to rake for the Blue jays.

The Toronto Blue Jays have blown 18 saves this year while amassing a grand total of only 23. During Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Blue Jays blew two saves in extra innings, which cost them the game. Coming into the season, the Blue Jays had four former closers on the team, Jason Frasor, Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Octavio Dotel.

It's been a little over three months since Toronto Blue Jays GM, Alex Anthopoulos, dealt Vernon Wells and the remainder of his ridiculous $126 million contract to the Anaheim Angels. The move that shook up Toronto's baseball landscape is making the young Blue Jays GM look better by the day.

His Anaheim counterpart, Angels' GM Tony Reagins...not so much.

The Toronto Blue Jays started off the year with their named closer Frank Francisco and their second starter Brandon Morrow on the DL. After that came their recently acquired centre fielder Rajai Davis, who went down with a leg injury. Aaron Hill, their second baseman, was working through a hamstring injury in spring training and then re-injured it stealing a base.

Sitting at a cool 9-11 record, the Toronto Blue Jays have started out fairly well this season, despite a very difficult schedule, injuries, and lastly, an infusion of young talent into a relatively unsettled lineup.

With that young lineup and changeover on the Jays roster, there is bound to be some bumpy parts of the road right?

The youngest starting rotation in baseball is getting one of its senior citizens back tomorrow when 26-year-old Brandon Morrow returns for the Toronto Blue Jays' matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays.

His return from the disabled list could not come at a better time.

With news that the Los Angeles Angels have designated Brandon Wood for assignment earlier this week, the rumors regarding possible trade destinations have started to emerge.

According to John Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Toronto could be a potential landing spot.

"The Toronto Blue Jays expressed interest in trading for infielder Brandon Wood as recently as this offseason, sources say.

When John Farrell was hired to manage the Toronto Blue Jays, he knew that he wanted to change the way the team played.

The Boston Red Sox are indeed struggling, but their matchup on Friday against Brett Cecil could be exactly what they are looking for. 

Brett Cecil, the Jays’ team leader in wins last year with 15, is a major cog in the “Hustle and Heart” campaign the club is running with, yet Cecil is struggling mightily with no explanation as to why.