I guess I was the problem. I went out of the country for about 10 days and the Blue Jays went from third place to first.

What a dramatic turnaround. They finally had that winning streak that has been so elusive over the past couple of years. That hot streak coincided with the Yankees and Rays cooling off and losing some games.

But the reality in baseball is that what goes up usually comes down, and what is down usually goes up again. So, are the Jays truly a 54-39 quality team or are they just a team that was hot and will now fall back to the pack again?

My eyes tell me that they are playing like a high-quality baseball team. They have found a rhythm in their game. The starting pitchers limit the opposition; the Jays score early and get a lead; their pitchers become more aggressive and willing to throw the ball over the plate and work ahead; the hitters become aggressive and confident – they run the bases aggressively and become willing to take an extra base; the defence makes plays behind the pitchers; the relievers come in and shut down any rallies from the opponent; and the Jays victoriously shake hands at the end of the game.

The Jays look different. Their posture is different. They are smiling. There are no more hangdog looks on their faces after a strikeout while watching the iPad video of their at-bats. The players in the dugout are rooting for each other. There is a positive energy. There is chatter and choreographed handshakes.

It looks and feels different. It looks like this is who they really are as a team. It feels like they have finally found their identity.

The numbers tell a bit of a different story

The numbers tell a bit of a different story, however. The Jays are in first place with a franchise-best 54 wins before the All-Star break. They are on pace to win 94 games. But they have only outscored their opponents by 20 runs. That run differential would generally lead to a 49-44 record.

The Yankees (52-41) have outscored the opposition by 106 runs, which would lead to an expected won-loss record of 57-36. The Tampa Bay Rays........

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