Opposite dugout: Blue Jays trying to overcome slow start to season

Manager: John Gibbons (10th season)

Record: 36-39

Last 10 games: 4-6

Who to watch: 1B Justin Smoak (.304 with 20 HR, 48 RBIs), 3B Josh Donaldson (.280/.379/.536), DH Kendrys Morales (15 HR, 44 RBIs), RHP Marcus Stroman (7-4, 3.69 ERA), RHP Roberto Osuna (19 saves, 2.40 ERA)

Season series vs. Orioles: 2-7

Pitching probables:

June 27: RHP Kevin Gausman v. RHP Joe Biagini, 7:07 p.m., MASN2
June 28: LHP Wade Miley v. RHP Marcus Stroman, 7:07 p.m., MASN2
June 29: RHP Ubaldo Jiménez v. RHP J.A. Happ, 7:07 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Blue Jays:

After making back-to-back American League Championship Series appearances in 2015 and 2016, the Blue Jays got off to a miserable start this year. The Jays began the season 1-9 and went on to fall 11 games below .500 with a 6-17 record on April 28. Since then, the Jays have gone 30-22 and now are only three games below .500 at 36-39. This resurgence places them five games out of first in the AL East and 3 1/2 games out of a wild card slot.

The Blue Jays' offseason was defined by two free agent moves: José Bautista's return and Edwin Encarnacion's signing with the Indians. As for Bautista, his 2017 has been wildly inconsistent, with his numbers varying greatly month to month. His OPS was .554 in April, 1.055 in May, and .627 so far in June. Adding the numbers together, his current OPS is .761, his worst performance in the category since 2009, when it was .757. Meanwhile, Kendrys Morales, who was acquired in free agency to fill the hole left by Encarnacion at DH, is currently slugging .480. That's perfectly fine, but it is a drop off from the .529 slugging percentage that Encarnacion delivered in 2016. While the Jays are not getting as much power as they did from their DH last year, they are enjoying a power surge at first base, courtesy of Justin Smoak. At 30, the switch-hitter has suddenly shown everyone why he was once the No. 2 prospect in the Rangers system. A career .231/.313/.409 hitter, Smoak is enjoying a breakout slash line of .304/.367/.588. His .588 slugging percentage impressively only trails Aaron Judge in the AL. Part of the reason Smoak is crushing the ball is he has cut down on strikeouts: After striking out 32.8 percent of the time last season, he has cut that number down to 18 percent this year. Second baseman Devon Travis was also enjoying a breakout season this year, producing 20 extra base hits in 26 games in May. However, he is currently on the disabled list with a knee injury. At third base, Josh Donaldson has a .280/.379/.536 line, only a small drop-off from his 2015 MVP campaign of .297/.371/.568.

On Tuesday, the Jays will trot out former Rule 5 pick Joe Biagini. The right-hander spent 2016 in Toronto's bullpen, posting a very respectable 3.06 ERA, while allowing only three home runs in 67 2/3 innings. This year, Toronto is trying to stretch out Biagini into a starter, with worse results. In his nine starts, Biagini's ERA sits at 4.91 and he has already allowed four longballs in 44 innings. Biagini's last two starts have been ugly affairs, allowing 10 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings against the White Sox and Rangers. Marcus Stroman takes the mound on Wednesday for the Jays. From May 29 to June 17, the right-hander had four straight quality starts, enjoying a 2.77 ERA over that span. However, Stroman's most recent start against the Rangers ended in the fourth inning after allowing seven earned runs. Stroman's numbers have greatly varied against lefties and righties this year: Left-handed batters slug .309 against him, while right-handed batters slug .513. To close out the series, southpaw J.A. Happ will start on Thursday. Happ's ERA has gone up from 3.18 to 3.83, but his strikeouts per nine innings and WHIP have both improved from 2016. What has caused the spike in his ERA? An increase in homers per nine innings. Happ allowed exactly 1.0 in 2016, but the number has risen to 1.6 this year.

Toronto's closer, Roberto Osuna, is reportedly dealing with issues stemming from anxiety. He pitched on Sunday in Kansas City and for now appears to be all right, but it is unknown if other problems could arise in his future. As for the numbers, Osuna is enjoying the best year of his young career. His 2.40 ERA, 0.767 WHIP and 12.0 strikeouts per nine innings are all the career bests for the 22-year-old. The right-hander is 19-for-22 in save situations this year. Before getting to Osuna, manager John Gibbons normally turns to Ryan Tepera (3.26 ERA, 1.009 WHIP) and Danny Barnes (2.16 ERA, 0.900 WHIP) as his top setup men.