After a 16-9 record in April, Toronto looked like a contender. After going 6-12 in 18 consecutive games against AL West opponents to begin the month of May, the Jays quickly became a pretender. Now they find themselves 11 games out of first as they watch their lone All-Star -- a middle reliever at that -- represent their barely mediocre club in Seattle. How has this happened? Well, sporadic hitting and a shaky rotation don't make for a winning combination.
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Jays first-half comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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48-41
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42-46
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HR leader
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Delgado, 28
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Delgado, 24
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BA leader
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Delgado, .363
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Stewart, .323
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ERA
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D. Wells, 3.44
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Carpenter, 3.99
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First-half MVP: Shannon Stewart has been the one consistent hitter in the Jays' underachieving lineup. The leadoff batter is doing his job nicely by hitting .323 with a .382 on-base percentage, 65 runs, 13 steals and six triples. His power numbers are down from last year, but Stewart is doing what a good leadoff hitter should do -- get on base and score.
Biggest surprise: All-Star Paul Quantrill has provided stability to a young bullpen. He's 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Quantrill has fanned 36 while walking only six batters in his 50 2/3 innings of work. He has shown signs of being overworked though, sporting a 4.80 ERA since June 7. The injury-prone Homer Bush has been awesome when healthy, posting a .372 average and a .402 on-base percentage in 34 games.
Biggest disappointment: Other than picking "the whole team," this title has to go to Esteban Loaiza. Since May 1, the Opening Day starter is 1-8 with a 7.21 ERA. In terms of hitters, Darrin Fletcher takes the cake now that Tony Batista has been released. Fletcher is hitting .200 with just five homers this season on the heels of a .320/20 HR season in 2000. Carlos Delgado and Raul Mondesi have 40 homers between them, but have each fanned 80 times already.
Second-half goals: Toronto needs to find at least one -- and most likely two -- reliable starters. Remember they still have Mike Sirotka, who will miss the entire 2001 season after shoulder surgery, so they don't need to mortgage the future for more mediocre arms. The Jeff Frye/ Chris Woodward experience at third base simply won't work, so Buck Martinez might as well play Luis Lopez. The Jays must also figure out how to get some home wins, considering they're 20-27 at SkyDome.
Minor-leaguer to watch: Why did GM Gord Ash sign Deion Sanders again? It's not like the Jays are hurting for quality outfielders, especially with Vernon Wells waiting in the wings. It might have been a move to draw more fans, but nobody goes to SkyDome anyway. In eight games with Triple-A Syracuse, Sanders is batting .281 (9-for-32) with three runs, one RBI and is 0-for-2 in stolen base attempts. These kind of numbers aren't bad but don't disprove the theory that Deion is a not ready for Prime Time player.
Grade:  -- The Blue Jays were supposed to battle for a playoff berth. Instead, they are in a battle with the Orioles for fourth place. Nobody has stepped up as the staff ace and nearly every hitter hasn't produced up to his potential.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
We told you what we thought of the Blue Jays' first-half performance, here's a sample of what you had to say.
Brian Gramling is an assistant editor at ESPN.com
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