Toronto Blue Jays: Previewing and Predicting the Month of May

The first month of Blue Jays baseball is in the books.

It has been full of surprises and has had its share of ups and downs.

From the great starts of Edwin Encarnacion and Kyle Drabek to the shocking silence from slugger Jose Bautista, there has been plenty that has stumped Jays fans early on.

After posting a record of 12-11 to wrap up the month, the Jays will look to build on their success in May.

Can they post a winning record for the second straight month? Will Edwin Encarnacion keep up his torrid pace? Can Jose Bautista bounce back from his sluggish start? Will Adam Lind return to being a power bat in the clean-up slot?

Only time will tell.

Final 2 Games Against the Texas Rangers

The Blue Jays will begin their month of May by playing the final two games in a three-game set with the Texas Rangers at the Rogers Centre.

As it stands, the Rangers are 17-6 (including a win last night in the series opener).

With the Rangers currently possessing a lethal combination of hitting and pitching, it will be tough to come by wins against them.

Expect a loss in the second game of the series, with Drew Hutchison losing to Neftali Feliz, and a win in the series finale, with Jays ace Ricky Romero edging out the Rangers Matt Harrison.

Final Prediction: 1-1

4-Game Set with the Los Angeles Angels

Once the Jays have wrap up their series with the American League-leading Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre, they will kick off a 10-game road trip in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

While many may predict a series win against the Angels thanks to their slow start, I won't be so hasty.

This is a team that has some great hitters with the likes of 2011 Rookie of the Year runner-up Mark Trumbo, Howie Kendrick, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, Kendrys Morales and the future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols.

While they may be struggling right now, this Angels team is too good to be kept down for too long.

With a starting rotation that includes Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, the Jays should be delighted with a 2-2 split.

Final Prediction: 1-3

2-Game Series with the Oakland Athletics

After a prolonged series in Anaheim with the Angels, the Jays jet off to Oakland for a quick two-game affair with the Oakland Athletics.

If the Jays are to have a successful month of May, a mini-sweep against the lowly A's is a must.

For starters, it is likely that Ricky Romero will start the opener in the Bay Area.

Second, the A's are extremely shallow when it comes to offensive threats, their leading hitter being Josh Reddick with an average of .277, while their top power threat is Cuban import Yoenis Cespedes (who also happens to be a strikeout machine).

Finally, the Athletics are extremely inexperienced when it comes to their starting rotation. If you thought the Jays were young, think again.

The Athletics' current starting rotation consists of the aging Bartolo Colon (though he has been excellent to start the 2012 season), Brandon McCarthy, who has only started 86 games despite over six full seasons of major league action, Tyson Ross, who's started just 10 games in his entire career at the major league level, and Tommy Milone, who has nine career major league starts under his belt.

Consider the fact that Ross and Milone have started fewer games combined than Kyle Drabek.

Final Prediction: 2-0

4 Games at Target Field Against the Twins

The Blue Jays will wrap up their 10-game road swing with a visit to Target Field for a four-game matchup with the Minnesota Twins.

This four-game set will be yet another opportunity for the Jays to pick up a few road wins against a less-than-stellar starting rotation.

After the loss of Scott Baker for the remainder of the 2012 season, the Twins are currently running with a rotation composed of Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Jason Marquis, Nick Blackburn and Liam Hendricks.

Not exactly a force to be reckoned with.

While Minnesota does have some firepower at the plate with hitters like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham scattered throughout their lineup, as well as a speedster like Denard Span, who can get on base to set the table, the Jays will still need good results from their starters in order to pull out a series victory.

Final Prediction: 3-1

2-Game Short Series Against the Rays

Home sweet home.

That will probably be the Blue Jays reaction for this series.

After a lengthy 10-game road trip that saw them head all the way to California before making a pit stop in Minnesota, the Jays will finally be back at the Rogers Centre for a home stand that kicks off with a quick two-game set against their divisional rival Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays finished off April with a division-leading 15-8 record, including a 2-1 series victory over the Blue Jays earlier in the month.

The key to beating Tampa Bay will be to get to their pitching staff.

Though they sport a team ERA of 4.03, Tampa Bay's pitching staff is still one of the best in baseball.

Final Prediction: 1-1

2-Game Tilt with the New York Yankees

Once the Rays skip town, the Blue Jays' schedule has them going up against their hated rival New York Yankees for the first time on the 2012 campaign.

While it will only be a short two-game series at the Rogers Centre, it should be an entertaining one.

Not only are the teams currently neck and neck in the standings (which may change come the start of the series), but the atmosphere is always electric, with plenty of Yankees fans flocking to the Rogers Centre for any matchup between these two clubs.

Add to that the fact that the Yankees are third in the majors in runs scored, first in team home runs and fourth in team batting average (led by Derek Jeter, who sports an impressive .389 batting average), and we're sure to see a slug-fest come mid-May.

There is cause for optimism for Jays fans, however, seeing as Yankees pitchers have also combined for an abysmal 4.33 team ERA, good for 25th in the majors, as well as a team batting-average against of .267, which puts them at 24th among major league ball clubs.

If this doesn't change come May 16th, we're sure to be in for some great baseball, and more than likely, a series split.

Final Prediction: 1-1

3-Game Interleague Series Against the New York Mets

The Blue Jays will wrap up their seven-game home stand with their first interleague series of the season, against the New York Mets.

The Mets have similar stats as their American League New York counterparts heading into the month of May.

While they're fifth in the majors in team batting average (one spot behind the Yankees), they are also 24th in team ERA (just one spot ahead of the Bronx bombers).

Their leader (David Wright) is also among the leaders in his league in batting average, sitting at .389 (identical to that of Derek Jeter).

In the end, though, this Mets squad just doesn't have the promise or skill that the Yankees' lineup does.

For this reason, it is much more likely that the Mets cool off by the time they visit Toronto.

Final Prediction: 2-1

3-Game Series in Tampa Bay

Back to Florida.

Once the Blue Jays are finished with their home stand, they'll head to Tampa Bay to play the Rays for the third time this season.

By the time this series takes place, these teams should be fairly familiar with each other.

This series will come down to the adjustments made by each pitcher and hitter throughout the series.

With one of the better coaching staffs in the major leagues, I'm giving the Rays the advantage on this one (nothing against John Farrell and his crew).

Final Prediction: 1-2

3-Game Series Visiting the Texas Rangers

From Florida, the Blue Jays head to hitter-friendly Arlington, Texas for a three-game set with the Texas Rangers.

It will be a rematch from earlier in the month, when the Rangers paid a visit to Toronto.

With a lineup consisting of Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Mike Napoli and Elvis Andrus, it will probably take a team-wide cold streak or a few injuries for Toronto to conceivably win this series.

Final Prediction: 1-2

3-Game Set with the Baltimore Orioles at Home

The Blue Jays will finish up the month of May by returning home for a series with the Baltimore Orioles.

While most years, this would seem like a great spot to pick up two or three wins, the Orioles have had a successful month of April, with much of it coming against the Jays.

In the two series they played head-to-head in April, the Orioles went 5-1 against the Jays, outscoring the blue birds 23-12 in those five victories.

Come the end of May, the Jays should be able to come back and take this series from the Orioles, who are still the fifth-best team in the American League East.

Final Prediction: 2-1

Overall Prediction for the Month of May: 15-13

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